Who If I Cried Out
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "I..." "Be real for a sec," she interrupted. "I never come out of my room, and I didn't trust Kurt for six months. What makes you think I'll trust a guy with WINGS sooner than that?" Angel/OC full quote inside
1. Chapter 1

**Um. I was thinking about updating "Eyes", but... I was lurking around on the internet (I'm a creeper, I know, don't pretend like you don't love the ideas I get while looking around the web) and discovered ANGEL.**

**Now, I haven't seen the movie where Angel appears YET. But I definitely plan on seeing it sometime soon... as soon as I can get my mom to drive me to the library where hopefully they have it on DVD. *sweatdrop* But anyway, I absolutely love Angel's character, and the wings I think are beautiful. Actually, the first thing I did when I saw a pic of him was gawk, drool, and go "SUPER HOT." Deep I know... but the wings aren't just beautiful - I mean, they must hurt quite a bit. So while I do love the wings, I feel bad that they're a part of him that must put him in a lot of pain. I admire that he kept them even though they hurt him; he realizes they're a part of him, and for that I hold him in a high respect.**

**... Well. I'm becoming rather rambly, aren't I? Sorry about that, I get passionate about this kind of thing... even if they're not real people. |D STOP TALKING, YOU IDIOT! XD**

**Well, I hope you enjoy the story! Full quote will be in the beginning of each chapter, just to remind you how it ties in as the story progresses. LET IT BEGIN!**

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><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

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><p>Cadence James rarely ever left her room in the Xavier mansion. She stayed there, in the dim light, just... existing. As far as most people knew she didn't really do much. She sat there, staring into the candles that were the only source of light in the room. It became a sort of rumor among many of the younger children there that she did this because she was trying to deny or remove her mutant powers.<p>

The older ones knew better. Cadence didn't exactly mind her powers, though she had admitted several times it might have been easier to live without them. And after that she commented quite bitterly that she'd never know, however, if it would be or not.

She was secretive, and because she was twenty-three she had no classes to attend at the school. She'd been here for almost five years, and everyone knew that you simply left her be. You didn't bother her if she didn't want to be bothered. If she didn't shove you out of her room, that meant it was okay to talk to her. If she did, that meant you got away as quickly as you could and didn't return for the next twenty-four hours.

She hated coming out of her room because she didn't like new people. Kurt Wagner, for example, had a nasty run-in with her his first day in the institute. That was when he discovered she was by no means afraid to use her powers on anyone she didn't trust. You wouldn't have thought a young woman could manipulate so many sharp objects, but evidently she was mad...

Point was: Cadence didn't come out of her room for anybody. If you wanted to see her, you went to _her_. She didn't come to you, ever; not even if you asked nicely. The only people who took the trouble to visit her were Ororo, Kurt, and Bobby - and Bobby only did it to bring her meals, since Ororo would give him a death glare if he refused.

Cadence was buried so deep in her own room and thoughts, she hardly ever noticed when new mutants arrived. She had to be told, and usually she had no interest in meeting them. She came out of her room maybe once every few months, and this month... she figured it was time to stretch her legs a bit.

She blew out all the candles before opening her door and stepping into the hallway. She began to walk, very slowly, toward the stairs, heading for the lounge downstairs. She was quickly joined by Kurt, who came up behind her and threw his arms around her in attempt to scare out whatever daylights still existed. "_Guten morgen, Dämonin_!" he cried, walking behind her and playing with her dark raven hair. "You must be getting bored to come out."

She shrugged, reaching behind her to affectionately stroke the symbols on his face. "I just thought it was time for a little change of scenery for a while," she answered, dropping her hands down again, once she'd touched her favorite symbol on his cheek. "That's all."

"You never get bored in zere, _Dämonin_? You must have a vivid imagination then," he teased, adjusting the small cross charm around her neck.

Cadence snorted. "Well, I'm not doing crack or anything in there. That's just for New Year's, m'love."

"Ah, I see. So, ah... vhere are ve going, _Dämonin_?"

"I was going to head to the lounge, but now I'm a little hungry. So let's go to the kitchen?"

"But of course. Any'sing for my _Fräulein Dämonin_. Vhy? Because, she is my best friend in ze whole vide vorld."

"Kiss-up. You're only saying that because you don't want me to stab you in the ass with a butter knife again."

"... Vell, zat's part of it."

"You're scared of me?"

"... _Ja_, a little."

Cadence grinned evilly. "_Good_."

They had reached the kitchen, but before Cadence had a chance to head to the pantry, someone bumped into her from behind. Immediately bristling with anger, she whirled around to face whoever it was. "Will you watch where the hell you're going!" she snapped.

Kurt attempted to pull her back a bit, in hopes of quelling her fury. "_Ach_ - I'm sorry, _Engel_, she just hasn't had time to adjust herself back to ze vorld," he explained, holding the smaller woman back. "You must excuse her - she usually doesn't mean much of vhat she says. She's irritable in ze mornings - und in ze afternoons... und most evenings..."

Cadence found herself faced with a oung man who had short, wavy blonde hair and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. He was wearing a light tan coat, so she couldn't see any more of his body than his head and hands. "I-I'm so sorry," he stammered out in apology, taking a step back. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was... I-I'm very sorry. Are you hurt?"

She straightened, yanking herself out of Kurt's grasp. "No, I'm fine. But I'd like to get my breakfast now."

She'd turned to leave when Kurt grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back toward the young man. "_Dämonin_, you're being so rude," he whispered, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. "You don't vant to hurt _Engel_'s feelings, do you?"

"I don't care! I'm hungry, Kurt! Let me go!"

"_Nein_, Cady. You don't get good until you are nice und forgive _Engel_."

"Bribery. Not your style, Kurt." Cadence shot a dark smirk over her shoulder at him. "I _am_ rubbing off on you!"

"_Ja_." Kurt wrapped his arms around her waist and held her, preventing her from leaving. "_Jetzt_, say hello."

She struggled for a minute, pounding on his arms and trying to wiggle free, but then decided it was futile. She dropped her arms down and resignedly looked up at the blonde - albeit not a very happy expression. "I don't believe we've met," she said pointedly, through clenched teeth.

The man gave her a shaky smile, and extended his hand. "I'm Warren Worthington." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling for a second. "The Third."

She looked at his hand a moment, as if it were a cobra about to strike her. Finally she reached over and, with her thumb and first two fingers, grabbed his hand and shook it up and down. "Charmed. My name is Cadence James, the first, one, and only. If you want you can call me Cady, nobody else seems to have a problem with it."

He shrugged. "Well... you can either call _me_ Warren or Angel. It doesn't matter which to me."

Cadence struggled a little to get away from Kurt, suddenly feeling how awkward this was. "Kurt, can I go now?"

"Say you forgive him."

"He didn't even do anything wrong," Cadence mumbled, avoiding Warren's eyes and pouting. "I'm just a bitch."

"Vell," Kurt chuckled, "you're not wrong about zat. But he apologized, the least you can do is say you forgive him."

"Fine, I forgive you. Can I get breakfast now, Kurt?"

Kurt let her go and she dusted off her arms. "About damn time! Why don't you go find some of the kids to play with, Elfie?"

"Oh, und leave you here to play vis _Engel_? I don't think so."

"_Kurt Heidrich Wagner_."

"_Ach_! Vhy do you have to pull out my middle name? Hmm?" Kurt pouted at her. "How vould you like it if I called you Cadence _Cecilia_ James?"

"Stop using my middle name! I hate it!"

"Vell, maybe you should have thought of zat before you used _my_ middle name."

"Leave, Elfie!"

"Hmmph, _meinetwegen_!" With that, Kurt vanished in a puff of blue smoke and the fading scent of brimstone.

"Gah!" Cadence waved her hand and glared at the spot where her friend had previously been. "Oh yeah, Kurt? You just guess who's getting their tail pulled by the lamp cord tonight!" She spun around, facing away from Warren, and crossed her arms under her breasts, appearing to be fuming. "Hmmph, what with all I do for the boy!"

Warren shifted nervously behind her, and cleared his throat softly to get her attention. "I, um... if you'd like, Cadence, I... could make you breakfast. I mean... as a, uh, a way to apologize for... everything."

She twirled back around, arms still crossed, and shifted her weight to her other side, sticking her hip out. "And what do you have to apologize about? You were just walking."

"Y-Yes, but I wasn't paying any attention and I ran into you. I'm very sorry that I made you mad."

She waved her hand, showing off her mismatched-yet-matching sword and shield rings. "You didn't make me mad, Warren. I'm a bitch, I overreact about everything. You ought to have seen, when Kurt first came here - poor guy got a knife to the ass thanks to my nature."

"I'm sensing that you don't like to let people in."

"I like my privacy."

"Still, Cadence, I feel bad about..."

"Well, in any case, you've already apologized. Several times. So keep your mouth shut. I'm making breakfast for the both of us. What do you like?"

"Oh, I don't want to take advantage of you..."

"It's not taking advantage if I offer. Now try having a damn opinion, will you?"

"I-I..." He hunched his shoulders a bit and reached behind himself to scratch the back of his neck, though his hand went a little lower, she thought. "I'm sure whatever you make..."

"Warren, for God's sakes!"

"I'm sorry..."

All of a sudden Warren glanced up to see two knives flying at him. He shouted and blocked his face, not really sure where to go. They were almost at his face...!

"Damn it!" Out of nowhere Cadence lunged forward, flinging out her hand and giving a short shriek.

To Warren's surprise, the knives stopped not two inches from his nose. He stared at them, cross-eyed, then snapped his eyes over to Cadence in wonder. "Wh... What did you...?"

Cadence was breathing hard, he noticed, and let her hand drop. The knives clattered to the floor as soon as she did, and just about her entire top half crumpled on top of the table. Her forehead landed with a _thunk_ on the wood, and he could hear her breathing heavily.

He didn't dare go toward her, though he was very worried. "Cadence, are you alright...? What happened? Why did those knives...?" A million questions were tumbling tumultuously through his mind, but these were the only ones that found their way to his lips.

"Fucker," he heard her mutter from her folded arms. She looked up at him, and there was a decidedly vicious glimmer in her eyes. "Why did you have to go on with all that, huh?" She stood up, pounding the counter.

To be honest, he was a bit afraid of this girl now. She definitely had a less-than-savory personality to begin with, and it appeared that everything he did or said was irritating her further. Not to mention it seemed she was rather dangerous.

Cadence took a few more deep breaths before pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You scrawny little... pushover! What's the matter with you? Don't you have any views or beliefs of your own, huh?" She swept her arm across the table, knocking over whatever had been on it. "Whatever's taking the place of your spine, do yourself a favor - get rid of it and grow a backbone!"

Energy spent, she stomped her foot for emphasis and stormed out of the room, toward the stairs. Warren watched her for a minute, struck by her speech and also just observing her just in case she might collapse again. She was wavering a bit, looking like her legs might give out on her. He didn't want her to get hurt...

He gave a glance down at the knives. Maybe she wanted _him_ to get hurt she responsible for those knives? Or was it somebody else who might have been trying to tease them? She'd never really given him an explanation. Maybe she'd done it on accident... she _did_ say she'd done the same to Kurt once before, when they'd met.

"I guess she's just wary of strangers," he sighed, bending down to pick the knives - and what Cadence had knocked off the table - up. He walked over to the sink so he could wash them.

At this point, he could hear Cadence at the base of the stairs, yelling something at him. "And hey, Jellyfish!" There was a pause, as if she were thinking. "Don't trust anybody else to make your breakfast! Kurt'll draw Catholic symbols with pancake batter, Bobby makes ice angels in the yogurt which is frozen to inedible, and Beast sheds into the food!"

Warren gave a slight chuckle to this as he heard her head up the stairs. Well, at least she made sense with the others and...

... Wait, "Jellyfish"?

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><p><strong>... Ffffffff~ I love the ending. Cadence is so mean to poor WarrenAngel.**

**OK, German translations (Cadence understands it because she spends so much time with 'Crawler):**

**Guten morgen = good morning**

**Dämonin = Demon Girl (it's actually her codename, Kurt just likes to say it in German to be affectionate)**

**Fräulein = Miss/Ms.**

**Engel = Angel**

**nein = no**

**ja = yes/yeah**

**jetzt = now**

**meinetwegen = fine**

**OK sooooo... *grin* I know it doesn't seem very dark right now, but given Cadence's disposition and powers... yeah, some people are gonna get hurt. I kinda want her to kick the crap out of human Magneto, but that would just be cruel. Then again, she's the type to kick people while they're down. Maybe she'll give Pyro a nice kick to the pants... punch Sabertooth in the face a few times... play steak knife darts with Logan as a target...**

**OH. I'm getting off topic, aren't I?**

**Any guesses as to Cadence's true, full powers? I gave away several hints... somebody's gotta guess! And if you guess, even if you ain't right, I'll give you a Gambit doll! *holds up plushie that speaks French***

**Gambit: What da - 'ow the hell did you get those?**

**Me: Made 'em. ^^ *holds it away from him* C'mon! Jump for it, Cajun boy! Jump! Or I'll give them all to Pyro! And guess what? They're voodoo dolls!**

**Gambit: Y' mess 'round wit' voodoo? WIIIIIITCH! *runs away***

**... REVIEWS WOULD BE NICE. I see Angel/OC stuff with many reviews... so I really hope you all like and review this one please! It makes me want to write more 'cause Warren's a sweetie pie. *huggles Warren* And if you review, you'll get a pair of strap on angel wings! XD**

**Warren: ... When exactly do you get the time to make these things? Between the dolls and these... *holds up pair of strap on wings* I mean, very lifelike, you must have a lot of time...**

**Me: Summer vacation, honey, summer vacation. *smile***

**Warren: Okay... review then, readers! It will make her happy and she'll use me more often. ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER SPAMMMMMM~ Lalala...**

**Well... not that many of you will be surprised, but I've already finished chapter 4 of this thing. XD**

**Pyro: And some of you are correct in saying she has no life.**

**Me: GET OUTTA MY AUTHOR'S COMMENTS, FLAME BOY! *kick***

**Just one thing I wanted to make clear, so people don't get confused. My OC'S name is CADENCE, not CANDICE/CANDACE. Candice/Candace is a version of Latin _Candida_ which means "white". My character's name, CADENCE, is a French name that means "rhythm". It's actually a term for marching band.**

**Warren: Erm... I thought you dropped band before you got to high school and marching.**

**Me: Well, my boyfriend didn't. :D**

**Just wanted to clear that up, because I don't like the name Candice/Candace and I'll probably never use it in a story. Cadence, my char, is actually kind of an old name. That's why people call her Cady, which sounds a little more modern.**

**Well, um... yeah. It's weird, I don't know what to say for this chapter. I guess... in this chapter you get a little bit of Cadence's past through Warren's eyes thanks to Kurt. But you don't get too much - like what's happened to her before Xavier's. You only get a piece of what's happened since she's BEEN there.**

**... Oh yeah. And Akira is MINE. *huggles***

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren walked rather nervously into the lounge, where he found Kurt sitting on the couch with a sleeping child in his lap. After fidgeting for a moment, he slowly walked over and sat beside the other man. He discovered that Kurt was singing softly, rubbing the young boy's back. Warren quickly recognized the soothing tune as "Brahms' Lullaby", but Kurt was singing in German. "<em>Morgen fruh, wen Gott will, wierst du wieder geweckt... morgen fruh, wen Gott will, wierst du wieder geweckt<em>..."

"Beautiful," Warren whispered, his hand hovering over the child. He wanted to offer security too, but he remembered Cadence's remarks earlier. If she didn't welcome him, who was to say there weren't others here who felt the same way about him? He didn't want to intrude where he wasn't welcome.

"Ist gut," Kurt said quietly. "You can touch him, _Engel_." He smiled down at the child, planting a light kiss within the boy's long hair. "Zis vone... he likes to be cuddled like zis. He's very clingy vhen he attach to somevone."

Tentatively, Warren placed his hand lightly on the boy's back. In response, the child squirmed around and the smile on his face grew wider.

Kurt chuckled. "Ve call him _Schlange_, the Snake, but his real name is Akira. He's from a small city, Japan. Came to America vhen he vas very small, I think."

Warren looked at the boy's pale face, eyes shut and tongue sporadically flicking in and out of his mouth as if to soak up Kurt's scent. "What happened to his parents? Is he all alone?"

The blue man let out a gradual exhale. "He is... special. Vell, zey are all special, no? But his parents..." He shook his head. "Zey... did not vant him much. But Akira, he vould not be here if not for _meine Dämonin_."

Warren blinked a few times, looking at Akira. "Cadence? What did she do?"

Kurt suddenly looked sad, or maybe just... reflecting. "It vas so long ago... before even _I_ vas here. I have always simply heard about it. I vas not here vhen it happened."

Now Warren was curious. _Beyond_ curious. He leaned in closer, running his fingers through Akira's hair. "Did she do something wrong? Did she break a rule?"

"_Nein_, ve do not have many rules about... morals. But vhat she did..." Kurt sighed. "_Meine schön Dämon_, she just... had ze wrong vay of doing ze right thing."

Warren fingered one strand of Akira's shining raven hair, nearly the same shade as Cadence's. "Kurt," he said, his voice barely even there, "what did she _do_?"

Kurt blew out another breath. "I cannot tell much, _Engel_. I vas not zere, und I fear she might carry out her threat of ze lamp cord if I reveal too much... she does not like having her secrets revealed."

"How many secrets has she got?" Warren asked, nearly breathless.

"More zan stars in ze sky, _Engel_. Even I do not know every'sing about her." Kurt hiked Akira up on his lap, putting the boy's head over his shoulder. "I have only heard ze story from Ororo. Zey vere both on vacation, California. Cadence vas by herself most time, vhile Ororo vas touring ze city. It vas late, Ororo met up vith her und suggested zey return to ze hotel. Ororo stopped to use ze restroom, und vhen she returned outside Cadence vas gone. She began looking, but she says ze next thing she knew, Cadence runs up to her carrying a little boy - four years old. Didn't have time to explain, just had to get out. Zey came back days early, I vas told."

Warren accepted Akira as Kurt carefully placed the child in his arms. He simply looked at the boy's cherubic little face, trying to remember a time when he was so innocent as this. What could Cadence have possibly done? Did she simply take the child away? "Did she..."

"Kidnap? No, no, _Engel_. _Meine Dämonin_, she may be many negative things, but she is not heartless. She never does any'sing to harm somevone who has not deserved it... I mean, consciously. She does not mean to hurt zose who do not deserve punishment." Kurt ran a two-fingered hand through his hair before continuing. "Akira's parents... Cadence had heard some'sing, in ze alley. Vent to see vhat it vas. Ze boy's parents vere yelling at him, berating, his father even hit him is vhat Cadence told Ororo."

Even just with that mention, Warren tightened his arms around the boy. How could someone do something so awful to _anyone_, let alone a poor defenseless child? Their _own_ child even! Right now he wanted nothing more than to hold Akira in his arms, protect him forever, never let him go. Never let anything like that happen to him again. "And Cadence... she..."

"She lost her temper." Kurt shrugged. "She is awful vith zat. She got so angry, und she didn't mean it..." A single tear glistened in his eye, but he simply wiped it away with his wrist. "She just vanted to keep him safe. I know _meine Dämon_, she may seem so uncaring, cold, ruthless. But she... children control her so easily. Zey take her frozen heart, melting it until it beats like a hummingbird. She did not mean to do vhat she did zat night, but... she simply acted on instinct."

Warren rubbed the child's back so gently, taking in a few deep breaths. So then... that meant Cadence had killed Akira's parents. She got so mad that her powers must have manifested without her actually willing them to do so. "I... believe I understand, Kurt. Perhaps that is the reason she doesn't like new people."

"My my." Kurt grinned through his mask of sorrow. "Ororo tells me she vas like zis before, but not as much. Vonce zey brought Akira back, she descended into ze vay she is now." He elbowed the other man in the ribs. "You might go see her. She is alvays avake - she likes to stay up all night und blast ze Linkin Park und Green Day, vake up ze rest of New York."

Warren chuckled a little bit, carefully transferring Akira back to Kurt's arms. "I don't know about that. She really hates me."

Kurt laughed. "Hates you? Hates _you_? Oh, vhat a funny vone you are. You forget _who_ got stabbed vith many different kitchen utensils, pelted vith stuffed animals, and assaulted vith headphones turned up to ze loudest volume zat nearly destroyed his hearing." He winked. "Und zat vas only her varm-up. She did vorse things later on."

"She hated you too?"

"Now, _Engel_... 'hate' is too strong for her view of other people." Kurt stood with Akira, and so did Warren. "_Meine Dämonin_, she hates a good many things. Tests, for example... bright lights... buttons... horror movies."

"_Cadence_ doesn't like horror films? Forgive me, Kurt, but I'm obliged to find that hard to believe."

"_Ja_, it is. She screams like _ein kleines mädchen_ if you even mention the name Freddy." He rolled his eyes. "Or maybe zat vone is because Mr. Krueger reminds her of Logan... but I digress, _nein_? Zose are all things, not people. She doesn't hate anybody. Sure, she may be bitter tovards some people... zose who show utter disregard for ze fate of mutants, zose who are abusive to anyone, especially children. But she doesn't hate people."

"Well, why..." He shook his head, trying to sort all this out. If she didn't hate him, what was her reason for being so insulting? Did she get some sort of pleasure from it, even if she didn't hate him? "Why is she so awful towards all of us? She yells a lot, at both of us."

Kurt shrugged. "She yells at everybody. It is just who she is. Like _meine Dämon _said before, she is quite a... _zicke_ at most times. I do hate insulting her like zat, but it is her personality. Und vith she und I, most of her insults are just banter. Ve've known each other a vhile."

"Well, why me? Has she heard stories about me or something?"

"I doubt it. She doesn't pay attention to much, she stays in her room. Besides, she isn't ze type to believe gossip."

"Then why?"

Kurt pursed his lips, then sighed heavily. "Oh _Engel_... she's been hurt. By so many people. Zis is ze only vay she has found zat she can survive. New people, she just... it takes a vhile for her to trust zem. She just doesn't trust you yet. But I can tell... _meine Dämon_, she may not trust you, but she is interested in you. I can tell. She definitely vants to know more."

Warren played with a strand of his short hair. "And if... if she gets to know me, then... will she trust me? Will she... stop yelling?"

Kurt laughed. "Stop yelling! Cadence James, stop yelling! Zat's a good vone, _Engel_."

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><p><strong>Germannnnn~<strong>

**meine = my**

**schön = beautiful (heehee Kurt's so niiiiiice)**

**ein kleines mädchen = a little girl**

**zicke = bitch (ffffff~ and we see Kurt telling the truth about Cady's personality... lol...)**

**I liked this chapter. But, I like the NEXT one even more... and you'll see whyyyyyyy...**

**Gambit: Tha' she goes, bein' all secret've again...**

**Me: SILENCE YOU WILL BE SILENT! *bams him on the head with a frying pan***

**Warren: ... Really, A'isha. Do you think that was appropriate?**

**Me: Appropriate? No. Funny as hell? YUP. ^^**

**Reviews would be very very nice! And you'll get a cyber cookie! They're CYBER CHOCOLATE CHIIIIP. 8D**

**Pyro: *lunges for the cookies***

**Me: *steps to the side* Don't hurt yourself now, "Mr. Miyagi". ;D**

**ALSO. BIG BIG BIG thanks to Mara who corrected my German. Thanks for telling me I was getting it wrong! I don't know any German so I was using online translators... ^^; I like people to tell me if I'm doing something wrong with languages or something, so I appreciate it! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Weeeeelllllll... XD**

**Why am I bombarding you with updates every day? Because. It's fun. And I'm currently writing chapter 6 of this. So I'm like waaaaay ahead of schedule. Oh yeah, and does anybody know the song "Tell Them That She's Not Scared" by Envy on the Coast? WOW. If I had to pick a song to describe this story, that would be it. Well, I mean the acoustic version. If you don't know it, go look it up. AH. It makes me cry, and it also has various references to angels. So yeah. A bit obvious, but it's one of the saddest love songs I know...**

**Warren: Yes... she's going to be listening to it while writing this from now on...**

**Me: Hellz yeah!**

**Well, hope you enjoy! This has a bit more action, though it is mostly... emotional action... *shrug* I did what I do, k? XD**

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><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Kurt watched as the door to Cadence's room was pushed open, and when he saw the two rings on the hand he immediately grinned. Really? She was coming out again? It had been just over a week since she'd come out and met Warren. Maybe Kurt was right and she was indeed <em>very <em>interested in Warren.

"_Dämonin_!" He came over and played with her hair as she walked down the stairs, taking the same route as before. "I don't think I've ever seen you come out tvice in a month, let alone ze same veek. You _are_ getting bored in zere, aren't you? Hmm?"

"Not boredom, Elfie." Cadence played with the rings on her fingers, lightly stabbing her own fingertip with the blunt blade of the sword ring. "I just... wanted to apologize to Warren. I feel... kind of... _guilty_ that I hurled a couple of knives at him."

"Oh, _meine Dämon_," Kurt groaned. "You did it again? To poor _Engel_? I admit I might have deserved it, vhat vith how I teased you vith the teleporting behind you, but to somevone as nice as _him_? For shame, _Dämonin_, for shame!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" she snapped, grabbing his arm. "It was an accident. I... just lost it again."

"I see. _Dämonin_, I thought you'd started to vork on your temper."

"I have been! But he just... he made me mad. I just... he wouldn't give me straight answers, and he didn't have any opinions on anything I said. I didn't even realize I'd gotten that mad until I saw the knives going at him."

"I know you don't mean it," Kurt offered understandingly, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "But try to be easy on _Engel_, huh? He's like you."

"He is _nothing_ like me," Cadence growled, her hair flying up and hitting Kurt in the face.

"_Ach_! _Dämonin_, vhy are you getting mad at _me_? I'm just trying to help."

"Don't compare me to him! I'm not spineless, Kurt!"

"I never said you vere. He isn't either. I didn't mean... Cady, I just meant zat you have both been hurt badly. You've had a little time to heal. He hasn't yet. He's only been here a short time... he needs our support."

"Kurt, you know I don't trust him. I barely trust you."

"Oh, now I know _zat_ is not true, _meine Dämon_. You vould trust me vith your life if it vas hanging in ze balance."

"You would do the same for me. I don't deserve your trust."

"And I deserve yours? Feh. Cady, how arrogant und fickle you are. You are zis vay und zat vay und all around!"

"You're not making a lot of sense, Elfie." She shot him a smirk. "I think it's your accent confusing me."

"See, you have _alvays_ teased me about zat. How about I tease you about _your _accent?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Elfie, I don't _have_ an accent."

"Sure you do! Ugh, zat American _reisende_ accent - most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!"

"Hey, wha - this is my voice! You know that!"

"I know. But ve Germans - ve find Americans very irritating, especially ze loud, obnoxious tourists."

"Jerk. When we get to the kitchen, you're getting a spork to the head."

"Oh, don't be silly, _Dämonin_. Ve don't even _own_ any sporks."

"I'll make one."

"_Meine Dämon_, you're trying to distract me. Ve vere talking about _Engel_."

"Maybe I don't _want_ to talk about him anymore. Think of that?"

"No. I can tell you are interested in him."

Cadence huffed and crossed her arms. "What's his deal, anyway? I mean, he doesn't levitate anything, he doesn't turn invisible, he can't run fast. I mean, he's... _normal_." Her nose wrinkled at the word, almost like she was spitting out some kind of poison. "Why is he here if he's normal?"

"Ha! I _knew_ you vere interested!"

"Just tell me, Elfie."

"He's not normal, _Dämon_. He is a mutant, but he... hides it. Even around us. He is just afraid."

"If you ask me, he needs to grow a pair and just accept it already."

"Vhy? You still have not quite accepted it."

"Yes, but _I_ don't need to grow a pair. I'm physically incapable of it. So what's his mutation?"

"Vell, zat's not my place to say. He vill reveal it to you vhen he feels comfortable. Und vith ze conversation ve had last week, about your yelling... I am not sure how long zat vill be, _Dämon_."

"Come on, at least give me a hint. Is he like you, can he teleport? Walk through walls? Oh, oh, can he hide in the laundry chute like Akira does to escape chores?"

Kurt snickered. "Vhy, Cady, he is an angel. If zat is not enough for you to come to conclusions on your own, zen perhaps you are a bit slow."

"Bastard!" With that, Cadence's long hair smacked Kurt in the face several times, to which she just stood there smirking.

"_Ach_! _Dämonin_, must you be so cruel?"

Cadence grinned, an expression not often seen on her face, and slid down the banister. "Frequent flyer miles racking up!"

"Cady!" Kurt was running down the stairs in a frenzy. "Look out, _Engel_ is-"

"Cadence!"

"_Holy shit_!" was Cadence's scream as she collided just about head-on with Warren.

The force knocked them both to the ground, Cadence lying lopsided on top of Warren and Warren looking quite uncomfortable. He had tried to catch her, and one of his hands had made it to beneath her calves, but his other arm was strewn out across the floor. She lie twisted, her top half face down and the rest on her side. The collision had somewhat displaced Warren's coat, the front of it just about yanked open, though most of it still covered him.

"_Mein Gott_!" By this time, Kurt had made it to the bottom - not in time to stop the crash, just to watch in surprise. He looked at the two on the ground, wide-eyed. "_Dämonin_, _Engel_, are you alright? Zat vas - you hit each other pretty hard! _Dämon_, I told you zat _Engel_ vas..."

Warren watched in amazement as Cadence's long hair shot straight up. She soon followed, pushing herself up off the floor. After a few seconds most of her hair fell back down, though a few pieces were still moving crazily. "Angel's the innocent! Right, Kurt?" Something on a table fell over. "It's always my fault! It wasn't _his_ fault for not moving! It was _my_ fault for being an idiot!"

"I-I was trying to catch you," Warren spoke up shyly, getting to his feet. He adjusted his coat, pulling it tighter in front of him. "I didn't want to just let you hit the floor..."

Her eyes snapped to him. "Shut up! Trying to make everyone believe you're a fucking saint - _God_, I wish you would just go away! You're trying to make it look like _I'm_ the one in the wrong!" Several pictures fell off the walls, and the rungs of the staircase shook violently.

"_Dämonin_, calm down!" Kurt shouted, running over and grabbing her by the shoulders. He held her back against his chest. "You've got to get yourself under control! Cady, can you hear me? Zis is not acceptable behavior! You must control your temper! Please!"

Warren watched as Cadence continued to struggle in Kurt's arms. She eventually stopped, her hair falling messily over her eyes, her breathing just a step down from the last time he'd seen her like this. He dared to take a step toward her, and reached forward to move her hair out of her face. He didn't even know what color her eyes were. "I'm sorry," he said softly, not even meeting her eyes. "I don't mean to come off like... it's just... so many people have been hurt because I didn't do anything when I could have. I don't want you to be another."

The air was thick as Cadence looked up at him. He looked down slightly, and noticed that her eyes were a bright green, with flecks of gold spotting the irises and shots of blood running through her sclera. That was probably because she was upset now. He saw her chest heave as she tried to breathe more. "Don't pretend like you know me," she warned dangerously. "You don't know what's best for me, and you sure as hell can't protect me. Only I can protect me."

She tore out of Kurt's grip and stalked into the kitchen without another word or look at either of them.

Warren felt an awful, cold feeling rise up in his chest, and he responded by pressing against his sternum and starting toward where she had gone. He didn't mean to hurt her further. He had to make this right.

"_Nein, nein, nein_, not now, _Engel_." Kurt caught him by the arm and began dragging him back towards the lounge. "Cady is in _ein stimmung_ right now."

"I have to talk to her..."

"_Ja_, this I understand. I have felt zat need before too - ze feeling of vanting to go apologize instantly. Make her feel better." Kurt placed a hand on the other man's back, being careful of his mutation, so he could lead him in and speak with him so he didn't go running off to Cadence. "But if you go talk to her right now, all you're going to get is a concussion. Trust me."

He sat down on the couch first, and motioned for Warren to do the same. "I know it seems like she needs comfort right zis minute."

"I can tell how much she's hurting... you were right. Her eyes are... so full of pain. Is it possible for someone to hurt that much?"

"Cady, she is... difficult, _Engel_." Kurt scratched the back of his neck. "She just needs a little time to... _abkühlen_. _Entspannen_. You saw vhat she did last veek to you, _nein_? She told me zere vere knives involved. Zat is vhat happens if she is not allowed to relax a little."

"That happened just now, too. The pictures, and the stairs..."

"None of zat hurt anyvone though. It had ze potential to, but her anger vas... not directed at anybody in particular. It may seem like she vas upset vith you, but she's not. She's really upset vith ze vorld, how zey treat her... us. She's been blamed for so many things zat vere not her fault..."

"Oh, I get it. So this was just... the final pressure that blew the top off the anger she's holding in then." Warren wrung his hands, looking nervously at the television screen. "I didn't mean anything by... I was just trying to help her. She would have gotten hurt."

"_Ja_, und she knows zat, _Engel_." Kurt patted the other mutant's shoulder. "Don't vorry. She understands, und you can talk to her soon. For now, just do vhat she is doing in zere - relax."

* * *

><p><strong>Germannnnn~ XD<strong>

**reisunde = tourist**

**mein Gott! = my God!**

**ein stimmung = a mood (ffffff~)**

**abkühlen = cool down**

**entspannen = relax**

**... WOWEE. Look what I did!**

**Warren: Yes, it was quite... detailed...**

**Me: Yes. Now, everyone, please be awesome and leave a review while Warren drags me off to that awesome place with the ice cream guys in white coats! :D**

**Warren: ... She's happy about being taken to a mental hospital... ah... *sweatdrop* She's definitely not normal...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hmm. I dun have much to say this chapter. Listening to that Envy on the Coast song again... big surprise right? I'll probably feature it sometime in this story. Dunno when. *shrug* I am a MASS of disorganization, m'loves. :D**

**OH YEAH. Big thanks to Auluna who pretty much made my morning with her LOL worthy review. Fufufu~ "German spectacle"! ROFL.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren cast a timid glance toward the clock, noticing it had been nearly an hour already. He wondered when it would be alright to go talk with Cadence. Kurt hadn't told him what an appropriate amount of time would be. How long did she need to cool off? Considering her, maybe it might be days...<p>

Kurt gave the other a slight nudge. "_Engel_. She should be better by now. Vhy don't you go have _eine kleine diskussion_ vith her? I have a feeling things vill go a bit smoother now zat she has cooled off a little." He shifted. "By ze vay, she vas asking earlier - about your mutation. Do you think you might show her?"

Warren took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I-I don't know... maybe when I get to know her a little better. It feels too soon. I mean... I've been here a little while and I'm just now meeting her. Usually I meet people soon after I arrive somewhere. Cadence is..." He rubbed his throat lightly, eyebrows knitting together. "Different."

Kurt smiled, slightly revealing his glistening fangs. "_Meine Dämon_, she is ze good kind of different. Rough, but _sehr gut_. Vonce you get to know her, you vill see the kind core at her masked heart. She rarely lets it down, but you... I know you vill see it."

Warren gave a small nod, a little nervous about going into the kitchen now. What if she was still upset? She still didn't trust him. He took a few steps, then looked back. "Hey... Kurt?"

"_Was_?"

"How... long did it take for Cadence to trust you?"

"_Dämonin_... she vill say it vas at least six months." Kurt winked. "But it vas really _dreieinhalb_. Three und _ein_ half. _Meine Dämon_ is such _ein lügner_. You may beat me by two veeks in earning her trust, _Engel_."

* * *

><p>Warren stepped cautiously into the kitchen, peering around the doorframe to see what Cadence was doing. She was standing at the sink, but after grabbing a spoon or something she went over to the stove, where there was a pot over a burner that was on. He simply watched her for a minute, observing what she was doing. She took the lid off the pot, and immediately a delicious scent filled the kitchen, as she began to stir something around. Warren took a step inside, wondering what she was doing. He rubbed his arm sheepishly and cleared his throat. "I... Cadence?"<p>

She swiveled her head around a bit to look at him, then nodded and turned back to her pot. "Come here."

He walked over and stood beside her, feeling a moderate itch on his back as his mutation tried to make itself known. Unfortunately that happened sometimes when he got nervous. "I, um..."

"Shut up." She turned to face him, holding her hand under the wooden spoon she'd taken from the sink. The spoon held a thick, caramel-colored liquid, and being so close to the strong spices made Warren's nose tingle a little bit. "Here." She shoved the spoon closer toward his mouth. "Open up or you'll be able to brag about what a good kisser a crowbar is."

Raising an eyebrow at her wording, Warren cautiously opened his mouth, none too wary of this girl. When she slid the spoon in, he was surprised that it wasn't really a motion that would be meant to choke someone. She was gentle, only allowing the tip of the spoon in and then taking it back out.

He swallowed, then sucked in a deep breath and covered his mouth. "Um... would you be offended if I drank some water after that?"

She waved her hand, the one without the rings, and returned to stirring the stew inside the pot. "Is it too spicy? I have a bit of a problem with that."

"No, I'm sure it's fine, it's..." He paused to take a gulp of the water he'd gotten, then to take a breath. "I'm just not used to that much heat in food. I've never eaten a lot of... spicy things, I mean."

"Well, did it at least taste good besides that?"

"Oh yes, it was... interesting. Did I taste peanut butter in that?"

"Yeah." She gave him a sideways glance, and there was a noticeable cease in her stirring. "Why? You're not allergic, are you?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I was just wondering. It's an odd combination with all the spices. That's all I was thinking." He put his glass down and then took a step back over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked so sad. "Are you alright? You look like you don't feel well."

She shook her head, taking a breath. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time I accidentally poisoned somebody." She jerked her head toward the lounge. "Poor Elfie and my damn blueberry-but-really-it's-strawberry shortcake... I'm such an idiot."

"Well, I'm fine and it was very good. So you've got nothing to be upset over."

"Look, I've been nothing but a bitch to you since the day we met. _Knives_, Warren, _knives_." She flipped the heat on the stove off and headed to the refrigerator. "Tell me you're not mad at me for that."

"Well, I'm _not_, Cadence," he replied honestly, a little taken aback by her shift in attitudes. "I understand that it was just an accident. You couldn't help it. I mean, it would take a pretty awful person to get mad at somebody for having emotions."

"Come on, Jellyfish." She pulled a packet of ground beef out of the fridge and set it on the counter. "Chew me out for it already, will you? You heard Kurt - even he yells at me to control my temper. If you don't have a spine, go out and buy one, okay? You've got enough money for it, at least."

"So you _do_ know who I am."

"Well duh, you introduced yourself."

"But you've heard of me, haven't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have made that comment."

A knife hovered up from the stand, and Warren cringed, afraid she might try to attack him. Knives seemed to be her favorite telekinetic weapon, so it was only right that he was afraid if one started flying in midair. But instead it simply floated over to her, landing in her hand. She cut open the plastic on top of the package, then tore the whole thing open. "Come on. I don't know _anything_ about you, other than your name and your daddy. I didn't even know you were a mutant till I met you. Don't like watching the news, you know?"

"I don't even associate with my father much anymore."

"_Much_." She slammed the lid on her pot.

"Well, it's true. We've gone our separate ways. I'm not who I used to be, and I promise you I'm nothing like my father."

"Industry idiots always say that. 'Oh, I'm nothing like him.' It's just a trick."

"Why would I trick you? I have nothing to gain from that."

"My trust. You gain my trust so you can turn around, stab me in the back, and sell me out for your own fucking benefit. No matter what it does to me."

"How many times has that happened to you that you distrust everyone so much?"

She whirled around and pointed the knife at him. "Look, _kid_..." She glared at him. "If you don't want this thing buried somewhere it should _never_ be, the personal questions and analyzing stop here. For both of us."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm not going to argue with a woman wielding that sharp a kitchen utensil."

She gave him a smirk, lowering the knife. "Well, you've got some spunk in you after all, Angel. You're funny, at least."

"I thought you were calling me Warren."

She smiled, and shook her head. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry I tried to kill you earlier."

It didn't go unnoticed by him that she didn't give any explanation in regard to his previous comment, but he decided to let it go. "What, you mean those knives last week? That's alright. I didn't get hurt."

"Yeah, well... I've been beating myself up over what could have happened if I didn't stop them in time. I thought I wouldn't be able to..."

"Well, don't." Warren contemplated rubbing her shoulder again, but decided against it. "You _did_ stop them. And I could see it took a lot out of you to do that, so... thanks."

She nodded, then turned to face him again. "Look, Warren..." She stuck out her hand towards him. "I may not trust you yet, but I'm curious. And I kind of owe you for not getting mad at me when you really had the right to. Most people would have taken advantage of it. I'm sorry about the way I treated you... just don't expect that it won't happen again," she added with a laugh.

He looked down at her hand, grinned, and clasped his hands behind his back. "I, um, I _would_ shake your hand... but you're working with raw meat. 'Salmonella' is one of the only Latin words I don't like."

Cadence gave him a look and responded with an elbow to his chest. "Jerk."

* * *

><p><strong>YAY GERMAN!<strong>

**eine kleine diskussion = a little talk**

**sehr gut = very good**

**was = what**

**dreieinhalb = three and a half**

**ein lügner = a liar (Kurt loves her, he just knows she is!)**

**I think the next two chapters are going to be my favorites so far, particularly the beginning of chapter 6 because it was bleeding fun to write.**

**Review and you shall get a cross-shaped cookie! :D**

**Kurt: *runs in toward me* _Sie da_! Unhand my offerings or I vill teleport you to Timbuktu! Get back here, you blasphemous little-**

**Me: GOTTA GO! *runs away carrying cookie basket***


	5. Chapter 5

**WOO CHAPTER FI-I-I-I-I-IVE. :D Super excited. Are you guys as PUMPED as I am? Well... probably not... 'cause I just had pizza and pop for breakfast and took my SPECIAL MEDICINE.**

**Warren: *looks at me and smacks his forehead***

**Logan: Yeah, what he said.**

**Me: DID, Logan.**

**Logan: ... Shut up.**

**Me: You shut up or I won't add you in the story!**

**Logan: ... *storms out mumbling something about using me as a scratching post***

**Well... here you go, my lovelies! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>She sat up, her hair going in all directions for a moment. She straightened it out and blinked blearily, trying to regain her good vision. "I must have fallen asleep... man, that hardly ever happens. So weird." She flopped back on the bed, letting out a deep breath. "I must be tired. Stupid Warren and his stupid making me want to talk to him. Wears me out, that's what it does. I ought to have Elfie deliver messages for us."<p>

She flicked her hand, and a match floated over to her fingers. She lit it, touched it to a candle, and blew it out before tossing it to the trash can. Just to give the room a little light. "If I fell asleep, then... what the hell coulda woken me up?"

All of a sudden she noticed a small, annoying little noise. It sounded like what happened when one of her knives missed its target and hit the wall, but... not as loud. And it was repeating over and over. There was no possible way she could have gotten a knife from the kitchen just using her powers, staying here, in her sleep. Not even mentioning banging it against the outside of her room multiple times. Waking up would have stopped it, even if it was plausible.

Somebody was knocking on the door.

She rolled her eyes. "It's midnight. Who besides me could possibly be awake?" Another twirl of her wrist, and the door opened slightly. "Come on in, door's always open."

A blonde head poked itself in, and she saw Warren's shy blue eyes looking at her, and he was supporting himself by way of gripping the doorframe. "I, um... I hope I wasn't interrupting... anything."

"What? You think I do voodoo in here?"

"Well," he answered, not looking the least bit ashamed, "I certainly wouldn't put it past you."

"Well, I don't. Only Gambit believes in crap like that. And keep in mind he's a crunchy Cajun-flavored Pringle. I'd like to take a knife to _him_ one of these days. Him and Pyro both. Did you know, Pyro's idol is _Johnny Flame_? Tell me that's not..." Her chuckle trailed off when she noticed that he wasn't smiling. Whenever she saw him for the first time (as in, before they actually started a conversation), he was always smiling.

She sighed and sat up, crossing her legs and patting the bed in front of her as a gesture for him to sit. "Alright, boy, spill."

"Spill what?"

"Guts. Blood. Thoughts. Pick the most appropriate one there, Richie Rich."

He sat down rather awkwardly on the bed, looking as though he couldn't balance himself. "Please... would you mind not calling me that?"

"Oh come on. Don't tell me you're touchy about _that_ too? Even Kurt's not immune to having a nickname from me. I mean, do you think he was thrilled with my calling him Elfie at first? You'll get used to it. Besides, I've learned to make fun of my dad too. You ought to hear what I come up with for him."

For the first time since she'd met him, Warren showed a rather prominent display of negativity. He gave her about as much of a glare as he could muster. "I asked you as nicely as I possibly could to just drop it, okay? Call me Warren or Angel. You can even call me Warren _Peace_, if you want. Just... please."

She blinked a few times, placing her hands on her knees. "Wow, you're not playin'. I really struck a nerve there. Sorry, kid, I didn't mean..."

"And will you please stop calling me kid? Kurt says I'm only two years younger than you."

"Fuck him, he told you my age?" She mock-snarled. "That's it, he's getting a new 'angelic symbol', right on his ass. I sure as hell hope it's possible to draw a cross with a waffle iron."

"You're not really going to do that, are you?"

"Hell, I'm not _that_ mean. I'm going to strangle his tail with the lamp cord though. That's about the least damage I can do for what _he_ did."

"I don't see what's so bad about him telling me your age."

"You do _not_ ask a woman her age."

"Kurt already knew, and I didn't ask."

"Okay, you have me there. But, the Divine Law of the Good Ship Friendship specifically states that unless you have express-written permission, you do _not_ mention your bestie's age to someone else unless it is an emergency, such as medical treatment."

"Please tell me you didn't make up some code for this."

"Ah, I'm just being an idiot." She reached over and grabbed his hands. "Now come on. You look like you've just seen a ghost. Tell me what up."

"Thought you didn't trust me."

"Oh, I don't. I don't even begin to try trusting someone until I've seen their mutation. But right now I can't put my finger on what yours is, and Kurt's only given me hints which I haven't attempted to think about yet."

"What about non-mutants?" he asked curiously, leaning forward a bit and trying to slip his hands out of hers. "How do you trust them? Or... don't you trust any of them?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "Hardly ever," she replied, leaning back and snatching her hands away from his as though she'd just found something revolting about him. "If they don't trust us, why the hell should we trust them? All we've got is each other, and sometimes they don't even turn out to be on our side."

"I am."

"Like I said, I'm not going to start trusting you even a little until I see your mutation. But wait till I figure it out, it adds to the suspense. And when I say 'Show me this!' it'll be all... tense and dramatic and all. I _live_ and _breathe_ for the theater, Warren."

"And music, apparently."

"Ahhh," she grinned, "so Kurt told you about my many musical ensemble obsessions, no?"

"Linkin Park and Green Day were the ones he mentioned, yes. Have you ever woken up the _entirety_ of New York before?"

"Oh man, I got _so close_ one time. This lady who lives a few miles from us - filed a complaint with the police. So now I have to keep my music at a reasonable volume."

"Shame."

"Crying shame, sir, crying shame."

Warren began to wring his hands, biting nervously at his bottom lip. "So... you don't _trust_ me... yet you'll talk to me as if we're friends?"

She smiled a bit. "Well, it's a little hard to explain, Warren. If I try acting friendly before I see someone's mutation, I find it a bit easier to transition into actually trusting them. How do I put it... it's almost like I'm already their friend, I just... need confirmation that they want to be mine too. That they trust me as much as I want to trust them."

"Yes, I see. You're explaining it perfectly well, believe me. I believe I understand what you're saying. I suppose it makes sense." He reached behind him and absently scratched at his back. "So you _want_ to trust people. You want to let them in. You just don't know who to trust."

"Do you know how many times I've... people have told me things. I've believed them. And then I turn around, and... everything they promised... it's not there. They never planned on giving it to me. I've been had so many times, Warren. And every time, I just... I say it's never going to happen again." She pushed her hair out of her face. "But it always does. I think I'm smart, and really I'm not. I just... finally figured out a way to stop it from happening."

"I know it probably won't help, Cadence, but..." There he went again, scratching his back like something was really bothering him. "You _can_ trust me, you know. I'm not _that_ bad of a guy, I don't think... not anymore, I mean." He looked down at the bed, all but refusing to look her in the eye. "You know... it doesn't have anything to do with how smart you are. I've been had quite a bit too."

"Oh, yeah right. Mr. Millionaire College Graduate?"

"Hey... first of all, it was only a two-year general major, so I'm not even sure it really counts because I didn't pick it for myself. And second, it's true. I should tell you about this one time..." He shook his head and blew out a breath. "Look, Cadence... I just want you to know something. Not everybody in the world is out to get you. Some people are, and those people are scum. Some people... they only want what's best, and they just... go about it the wrong way. And some people... want nothing more than to guide you in making the right choices. Anybody who tells you what to do, what you should or shouldn't do..."

"Those are the idiots," Cadence agreed, levitating a glass over to herself. "The ones you shouldn't listen to. Right?"

"Yes, I... guess that's what I was saying. Sorry, I got a bit wordy, didn't I?"

"S'okay. I've had practice sitting through Logan's five-hour lectures on how I shouldn't use my powers to do stuff I could do on my own. Like this." She levitated another glass and this time held it, hovering it in front of Warren and grinning at him through the glass. "Thirsty?"

"Oh, um... no thanks."

"Pff." She put the glass back down. "It's just water, but whatever."

She looked up, and saw a smile on Warren's face. It wasn't forced or shy, but instead looked so... _him_. "Cadence, you... really are something else. You're something I've never encountered before."

"Glad to help you with your experiences in the real world. This is what it's like out here."

As quick as she'd seen it, the smile was gone. It had been replaced with a sort of uncomfortable expression, and he was squirming. "I, ah... would you mind if I used your bathroom?"

"Right through there." She pointed to an adjacent room. "Just don't leave the seat up, or I've got a coupla nice sharp knives that say Warren Worthington Number 3 on 'em."

"Duly noted." With that, he hurried into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. A few seconds later the lock clicked loudly.

Cadence stared at the door a minute before lying back down. She folded her arms behind her head. "Yeah. And he says _I'm_ the piece of work."

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><p><strong>Woot! Ok so... I think the next chapter was my favorite to write so far, I can't wait for y'all to read it!<strong>

**Oh yeah, and there'll be a bit of action coming up soon... chapter 9 or 10, maybe. Maybe sooner, I dunno yet.**

**Reviews are love! And you'll get this special Pyro gauntlet thingy. *glove catches on fire* Eh heh... yeah... well, maybe I ought to work out the bugs in that first...**

**Pyro: *runs in* I'm not gonna have people thinking I gave you PERMISSION to do this!**

**Me: Eeep! *runs* It's Kurt from last chapter all over again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**WOOT WOOT. I love this chapter. It was fun to write, especially the beginning with Warren. *huggles Warren* I wuv you!**

**Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned after this story for an important commercial message. ^^**

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><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren quickly shut the door and locked it, taking a few deep breaths. He could feel his trapped wings fluttering against the harness, crying out to be freed even for a moment. The area where they emerged from the skin was itching, burning, painfully warning the young mutant of the restlessness. He hadn't flown in a few days, and if he didn't at least let them go a moment, it would just get worse.<p>

He had to pause once taking his coat off to twist around a bit, take the edge off the discomfort so he could get everything off. The itch was driving him mad, and he would be the first to attest that having a pair of wings constantly beating at your back, restrained to their smallest size by the harness, wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world.

Throwing his coat to the floor he immediately began undoing the harness. He unlatched every part, pulling the straps out similar to the way one might do with a belt. The itch got worse, thanks to his anticipation; it was like the wings really did have a mind of their own sometimes, knowing when he was going to discard the harness and let them breathe. He was looking forward to it himself.

At last he got the final latch unhooked, and his wings spread out. To his relief the room was just the right size so that his wings didn't curled down over themselves. A couple of feathers, though, knocked over something on a shelf, which he saw to be a bottle of body spray, and it fell to the floor. The sensation of the itch and burning was better now, but how was he supposed to pick that up without knocking anything else over?

There was a pounding knock on the door. "Hey Warren!" came Cadence's voice from the other side. "Are you okay in there? What the hell's going on?"

Fear trickled down over him, settling like a rock in his stomach. She couldn't come in! Not now! She'd see his wings and... he wasn't ready for that. She couldn't see them yet. "P-Please don't come in!" he shouted. "I, um, I..." He hurriedly racked his mind for an excuse, though he didn't come up with much. "I-I'm not decent! Y-You _really_ don't want to see me..."

He heard her scoff loudly. "You got that right then. Well, pull up your skivvies and get back out here. I'm getting bored."

"I-I'm coming," he groaned, rubbing his eyes. Had she seriously just said that to him? She really was a lady...

"Hurry it up." She pounded once on the door for emphasis, and then he could hear her bare feet shuffling on the carpet, probably going back to her bed.

Warren quickly flapped his wings a few times, making sure not to knock anything else over. He gave a sigh, feeling a little more peaceful now that he'd stretched his wings a little bit. He was always more relaxed once he gave in to this particular need. He would have liked to exercise his wings a bit longer, but Cadence would come storming in if he took too long. He shouldn't be inconsiderate; it _was_ her bathroom, after all.

He slowly began to compact his wings back to the smallest he could, having done it countless times before. It was simple for him to do now. He picked up his harness, and started fastening it up again. "Much better," he breathed, pulling a strap through its loop. "Much, much better."

"Are you almost _done_?" he heard Cadence call, her voice telling him she was pretty annoyed. "Even Logan doesn't take this long!" There was a pause. "And _he_ takes his DS with him! Lord knows _why_, but whatever he's doing doesn't take _this_ long!"

Warren had to stifle a chuckle at her comments. It appeared she definitely wasn't the kind of woman who was afraid of cracking a joke like that or being thought of as risqué. "I'm coming," he called, picking up his coat and slipping one arm in. "Give me a few seconds!"

He quickly finished putting his coat on, fully buttoning it except for the first two at the top, which had a habit of making it hard for him to breathe. He headed for the door when suddenly he realized he'd put Cadence under the impression that he was actually going to the bathroom. He turned around and flushed the toilet, mentally shaking his head at his own utter stupidity. He ran the water for a moment, to make her think he was washing his hands. She'd probably yell at him if he didn't.

Finally he opened the door back up and walked out. He strolled back over to the bed, where Cadence was sitting Indian-style, arms crossed, quite obviously waiting for him. Her lower lip was even stuck out in an angry pout. "Good evening, Warren Worthington," she commented, giving him a terse look. He could see, though, that a smile was trying to force its way onto her lips.

He sat across from her, offering a demure gaze and slight blush in response. "I, um... sorry I took so long."

She couldn't hold it in any longer. A grin spread across her face and she snickered. "You fell for it!" She reached over and gave him a hard shove on the shoulder. "Geez, I was starting to think you ran away from me, boy!"

He rubbed his shoulder, where he was sure a bruise was already forming, and attempted a grin as well. "Why would I do that?"

She shrugged. "A lot of people run away from me. Mostly non-mutants, but hey. Whatever works."

"Well, I wouldn't. I happen to enjoy talking to you."

"Yes, but I offend you. Remember, I called you Richie Rich? And then there's the knife thing..."

"And we had a conversation about that name, in which you promised to drop it. So I'm over it."

She shrugged. "Soooo... what to talk about."

"Maybe we both better get a little sleep."

"No, no, I'm bored. I never sleep. I'm like an owl."

"Well... um... who's your favorite singer... or band...?"

"If I had to choose? Whoo. Well, if I had to pick _one_, I'd say Envy on the Coast. They rock. Faber Drive is a close second though."

"Oh. I've only heard a few of those bands' songs..."

"Cool, cool. At least _you_ know who they are." She laid back on the bed, crossing her legs. "So what about you? What kind of music do you like?"

"Oh... well... my favorite is classical."

"Typical." She glanced up at him. "I mean, not that _you're_ a typical rich dude or anything. It just sounds like it."

He smiled. "I know what you mean. So... do you actually play any instruments?"

"Guitar. But I might be a little rusty - I haven't dragged the thing out since..." She trailed off, cleared her throat, and replaced her word choice. "For a while, I mean."

"Oh, I see. You should get it out sometime, I'd love to hear you play."

She snapped herself up suddenly. "Hey, have you ever been on a yacht?"

"Uh... yes, once. When I was younger. Why?"

"No reason, really. Just wondering how far you go into being a stereotype."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I'm pretty sure it ends there. Unlike most others I've always tried not to flaunt it, you know? I mean..." He shrugged, feeling his wings itching a bit once again. Ugh, _already_? "Once people find out, you never know if they like you for you or the things you do for them."

"I guess that makes sense. Sorry to say I don't know the exact feeling." She shook her hair out. "So... what's going through your mind right now? 'Cause in mine, there's just a wind blowing down an abandoned vent, stirring up a napkin from Taco Schmaco's."

"Well, I... have to admit I didn't come here looking for idle conversation."

"I kind of assumed that much. Nobody ever does." She studied his face for a moment. "You sleepin' alright, Warren?"

"Y-Yes... why do you ask?"

She reached over and he felt the cold tip of her finger stroking beneath his eye, that analyzing look in her own eyes. "No, no, it's just... you look like the vessels beneath your eyes are a little bruised. A bit blue, starting to form lines. Like you've been having trouble sleeping."

"Well... I haven't been able to sleep tonight."

"I see." She crossed her arms. "So then... what exactly were you planning on talking about? And I'll tell you if it's on my to-do list this evening."

He rubbed his arm nervously, not quite knowing how she'd react to what he wanted to know. "I... wanted to ask you about Akira."

He waited to be assaulted with some odd item, like a shoe box or a book of matches or something, but it never happened. Instead, when he looked back at her, she had a sort of... faraway look in her grassy eyes, like she was really thinking about something. "Yeah, I remember Kurt told me you two talked about that. I was sort of wondering when you'd get curious enough to override your fear and ask me about it."

She blew out a breath, glanced toward her door, and used her powers to close it the rest of the way. "So? Ask already. I'm getting bored."

He glanced around the room for a second. "... What... happened with Akira?"

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><p><strong>DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN.<strong>

**Warren: ... Don't you think that's a bit dramatic?**

**Me: DON'T CARE!**

**OK. First of all... reviews be love! And you'll let a little Kurt keychain. *waits* Heyyyy, nobody came after me this time. Sweet.**

**Second order of business! Since Warren's mother was never mentioned in the movie (I'm pretty sure she may have been in the comics), I started to think about it. So I invented Trisha Worthington, mother to Warren III and wife to Warren Jr. Yup yup. And I'm almost finished writing a little oneshot about her and Warren when he was a kid. Based on the scene at the beginning of the movie, where he was trying to cut off his wings. So if anybody's interested in THAT, when I put it up the title will be "Angel's Tears". More might follow, but I'm not sure yet...**

**Hope you liked this chapter! ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

_Who if I cried out,_

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

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><p>Cadence was slow in starting her tale. She stripped off her jacket first, taking out one arm at a time. She then tied it around her waist, giving a deliberately foolish attempt to make a bow. "So what exactly did you get from Kurt?"<p>

"Well, I suppose I got most of it." He scratched his head, remembering what the blue mutant had told him that night. "You and Miss Munroe were in California on vacation, and one night the two of you met up. And you were going back to your hotel, and Miss Munroe stopped to use the restroom. And when she came out you weren't there - Kurt told me that you went to an alley... found Akira being verbally abused by his parents. And so you killed them... took Akira. Came back here early, and he's been here since you found him."

She shrugged, pulling up one of the spaghetti straps on her dark violet tank top, and her eyes never met his. "Then you know the whole story, Warren. There isn't anything more I can tell you."

"Yes, you can. Please stop avoiding chances to open up to people, Cadence." He leaned forward a little bit. "I want to hear your side. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I wanted to kill some bastards for pressuring and hitting a preschooler."

"I'm serious."

"And what makes you think I'm not? That's all that went through my mind when I saw what they were doing to Akira."

"Explain. Just... tell me all that happened, through your eyes."

She blew out a breath, and laid back on the bed, stretching her legs out so that one foot rested on each of Warren's legs. "I was a different person back then, Warren. As bad as I am now, with my temper and controlling my powers, I used to be worse. Hard to believe, huh?" She pushed her bangs back, up over the rest of her hair. "All this... with Akira. It happened after I met... after I met Jean." She had to practically squeeze that last sentence out. "I was a mess before she helped me. I nearly took Logan's head off once. But she helped me. I thought... and then I just... snapped again."

Warren gently removed her feet from his legs and stood up. He sat down on the edge of the bed by her waist, nearer to her face so... well, he didn't really have a rational reason for it. He just wanted to be... closer to her. "If I had to guess, I'd say that's the reason... Kurt said you got worse after that. I have to assume that the incident with Akira was the reason." He reached over and placed his hand over hers. "It might make you feel better to talk about it, you know. That helps _me_."

"Well, hell, War..." She threw an arm over her eyes. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"How about the beginning? That's where stories usually start, isn't it? With 'Once upon a time' and all that?"

"Once upon a time, there was a bitch named Cady. She decided to kill two assholes, and took their child back to a mutant school. He's been living there for the past four years, his guardianship fluctuating between said bitch, a werewolf with an anger problem and two-foot claws, and a blue dude with a tail and a rosary surgically attached to his fingers. They kick ass together like a real dysfunctional family, and they all live happily ever after. The end, go to bed or you're not getting cake for breakfast."

"I don't even _want_ cake for breakfast. Why would anyone want cake for _breakfast_?"

"Stop making fun of my lifestyle choices!"

"Okay, okay, sorry." Warren put his hands up in surrender. "Just... please tell me. I want to know."

She sighed. "Fine, fine. You ask me questions, I'll give you answers."

"Well... when you and Miss Munroe were going back to your hotel. And she went into the restroom. You... _did_ plan on waiting for her, right?"

"Hey. Jean taught me you don't abandon friends. I never woulda left without her."

"And... Kurt said you left because you heard a noise in the alley. What kind of noise was it?"

"Sounded like a trash can being knocked over, and then somebody smacking the wall. I'm guessing it was Akira's dad who did both - although I'm not fond of calling him that. Anybody who is that terrible to a child doesn't deserve to be called their parent."

"I agree. And... you get to tell the rest of the story from there."

Cadence lowered her arms to her stomach and made a noise like a game show buzzer. "Sorry, Warren. I said 'question'."

"Very well. Will you please tell me about the rest or I'll hold my breath until I turn blue?"

He saw a sort of... impressed look on her face. She was smirking at him a little, showing part of her teeth. "Ooh-hoo-hoo. Mr. Fancy Pants College Boy took a law class where they taught him the word 'loophole'."

He allowed himself a rare smirk back at her. "Start talking, Cadence."

She sighed. "Fine, you got me, I'll sing."

She shifted her position and sat up to be beside him. "I was mad, but I wasn't as mad as I could have been. Then I saw Akira's dad..." She swallowed. The look in her eyes was definitely that of someone remembering something painful. "Shoved Akira back against the wall. Hell if I know what they were even doing in the alley in the first place. Both of them were yelling at Akira... 'Why don't you do better?' 'That's not good enough.' 'You have to do better to make us proud of you.'. When I saw Akira hit the wall, I just... I... everything went red, and I got so _mad_... I'd never been that mad before, and I haven't been since..." She took in a shuddery breath. "C-Can you just... give me a minute, Warren? Just a minute..."

Warren's heartstrings were forcibly yanked at, and he nodded slowly, not really able to do much else. "No, no... that's fine." He felt sympathetic towards her, as this was obviously one of the more upsetting things for her to talk about. He almost wished he hadn't asked about it in the first place.

Her breath hitched, and it was apparent to him that she was trying very hard not to cry. He knew the action extremely well, and it wasn't difficult to place what it was. Her wrist was pressed to her eyes, and her chest was heaving with potential sobs.

He reached over and placed a hand on her back, rubbing lightly. "It's alright. Just... take all the time you need. I don't have anywhere else to be. I... I know it hurts you to remember. I can tell. If you don't want to finish... you don't have to..."

"No, I'm fine." She brought arm down and laid it in her lap with the other. "I'm okay."

He slowly drew his hand away from her back. "Cadence, if it's that painful for you to tell me..."

"I said it's fine." The words were sharp, but her tone wasn't as acidic as he was used to her speaking. "Where was I...? Oh right. So anyway... I don't exactly... remember much about killing them. I just remember the anger, the _feeling_ of wanting to kill them. I didn't know I actually did..." She blinked rapidly, as if staving off tears. "Till I... came out of the haze. I saw..." She took a few deep, shaky breaths before she tried to speak again. "Akira was holding on to me. His mother had something metal... something I must have gotten from a building around... shoved right through her head, and a knife in her chest... I must have got that from the trash can, I think. And then... his father... lying on the ground, lookin' like somebody beat him against the wall..."

Her breathing quickened, and her head fell forward in her hands. Her shoulders trembled, and drops of water were staining the sheet on her bed. She was crying.

Warren felt the same tug at his heart, but it was stronger this time. Like somebody was literally squeezing his heart. He got back further on the bed, crossed his legs, and reached over to put his arms around Cadence. He expected her to shove him back with some comment about how she was going to give him stitches with knitting needles and yarn, but she didn't. Instead she leaned in to him, resting her head against the space in between his neck and shoulder. He had never seen her like this, within the week he'd tried to get to know her. When she had had tears in her eyes, she wasn't like this. Those were angry tears, and she acted angrily. But these... this right now... this was sad. This was regret and pain.

Her hands came off her face and clutched the front of his coat. Her tears soaked into him but he didn't care. "I _beat him against a wall_, Warren!" She lowered her head, pressing her face into the middle of his chest near his throat. "I picked him up and beat him against a wall and hell, I don't even remember _doing_ it!" The sobs caught somewhere between her chest and her throat and her fingernails dug into him harder. Something flew off the wall and hit the ground, and her bed started to convulse like it had a mind of its own. "Jean tried to help me! She made me control my temper and I did _good_, Warren! I was _good_! But nothing changed! I thought I was good and I never was! I... I worked _so hard_, Warren... a-and it all came down... just because I lost my temper _once_! All of it! I was so mad at myself but... but even worse, _Jean_ was disappointed in me too!"

Warren could feel her shaking and trembling in his arms, crying against him. In a way, this was a horrible thing he had to do, to hold her while she was this upset and crying, with furniture in the room shaking and several things being thrown around. But in some other way, it was... a kind of blessing. She was beginning to trust him enough to cry in front of him, to trust him to hold her while she cried and to know he wouldn't use this against her later. She certainly didn't trust him enormously yet, he knew that much; but to be secure enough with somebody that she could cry in front of them, that was a step in the right direction. That made him feel good.

What didn't make him feel so good, though, was that this was all he could do, was hold her.

He knew the emotions she felt, he had experienced them. He knew what she felt like... and yet he couldn't find any words to say to her.


	8. Chapter 8

**OK... so this one skips a few days ahead. It does tell what happened after last chap though, in the form of Warren thinking about it.**

**... ALL WILL BE REVEALED IN GOOD TIME MY MINIONS... err, I mean, FRIENDS...**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"<em>Tenshi-senpai<em>! _Tenshi-senpai_!"

Warren barely had time to turn around before he was almost plowed into by Akira, who attacked him in a hug. He managed a smile, even having the wind knocked out of him, and hugged Akira back. "Heh. Good morning, Akira, how are you today?"

"_Ohayou_!" Akira grinned up at the older boy, flicking his snake-like tongue out a few times and then giggling. "Ohhh, you smell good. Did you have bath before breakfast?"

"..." Warren stifled a laugh, then took Akira's hand in his own and walked down the hallway with him, heading for the lounge. "That's a little personal, but yes, I had a shower this morning."

"Ahhhh, _that_ why you smell like jasmine. I like." Without any warning, he jumped up and crawled up Warren's arm, and he was surprisingly light, and he shot his tongue out several times near Warren's face. He then frowned and jumped back down, giving Warren a sad look. "Hey! Rogan-_san_ told me there wasn't no more pancake syrup but you have some! And I have breakfast before you!"

Warren frowned too, and self-consciously brought his hand up to his face. "How can you...? I brushed my teeth."

Akira shrugged. "Still traces of the smell. You go all _tenshi-fu_ on Rogan-_san_ for me later?"

Warren gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Oh. _Zannen_..." Akira pouted, then tugged on the back of his coat. "_Tenshi-senpai_, will you fly me around garden?"

Warren cast what he hoped was a confused glance down towards the boy. "And what makes you think I can even fly? Maybe my powers are like yours."

Akira crossed his arms, giving the older boy a hard look. "_Sou desu ka_?" he challenged sarcastically. "Then let see _your_ tongue."

The eight-year-old received an incredulous look, before being shown Warren's small, completely normal tongue. "Happy?"

"_Kimoiiii_!" came the exclamation of disgust from the younger of the two, as he ran and ended up to wait for Warren at the end of the hall. "It all thick and short and dark pink! _Kimoi deeeesu_!"

Warren chuckled. "_That's_ gross? You're the one who smells everything with your tongue!"

Akira smiled proudly. "Yep! Even when I have cold, I can still smell 'cause my mouth stay open! _Sugoi deeeeeesu_."

"Cool indeed, even though you probably can't breathe." Warren rolled his eyes.

"_Kanben shite kure yo, Tenshi-sama_! I want fly with you. Kurt-_danna_ says you have wings! I just no wanna be dropped. I read this book, and it say birds drop snakes from real high up to kill dem before they eat dem."

"I'd never do that! Besides, I'm not really a bird. I don't even know _what_ I am."

Akira shrugged. "Kurt-_danna_ say you have wings, so you are _tori_. And since I am _hebi_, I real gotta trust you with flying."

The moment Akira said "trust", Cadence's face and her crying immediately flashed across Warren's mind. He had fallen asleep in her room that night, and she'd woken him up with a soft kick to the side, urging him out of the room as though nothing had happened. He counted himself lucky he hadn't rolled onto his back during the night and disturbed the harness, otherwise they would have had some problems.

She hadn't asked him to show her his mutation yet, she hadn't unraveled whatever clues Kurt had given her. What if she saw? Then she'd trust him even less; he wasn't sure it was possible to trust someone less than not trusting them at all, so he didn't really want to push that. "Do we really have to? Somebody could see us..."

"_Un un_, we have to!" There was hope shining in Akira's dark eyes, and he was grinning up at Warren. "_Kudasaaaaaai_? I be good all week, and Kurt-_danna_ will take me teleport Saturday - but I can't wait that long!"

"Where does he even take you? It's just teleporting. What, do you guys go to the Pyramids or something?"

Akira's grin just got wider. "We go to pool, sneak up behind people and scare them then disappear to watch!" He clapped his hands. "_Sono youna tanoshi-sa_!"

"Akira, how can you find scaring people-"

"_Boo, Engel_!"

"Hey!" Warren turned around quickly, nearly falling over himself as he escaped Kurt, who had just teleported in right behind him. "Kurt!" He placed a hand on his chest, and he felt his breathing trying to calm down. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Kurt snickered. "Zat vas ze idea, _Engel_! See? Scaring people _is_ fun."

Akira jumped in front of Warren, his snake tongue swaying back and forth out of his grinning mouth. "_Un, buingu, Tenshi-senpai_! Hahahaha!"

Kurt cackled happily, giving Akira a high-five. "_Ja, Schlange_, you are quickly becoming prodigy in ze art of ze _schaudenfreude_!"

"_Un_, shoddy-fraud!" Akira attempted to repeat gleefully, returning the high-five.

"Vell, ve vill fix ze pronunciation later." Kurt started laughing as Akira climbed all over him. "_Schlange_! You are hyper today, _nein_?"

"_Un_, and Rogan-_san_ not even let me have any syrup! He trick me!"

"Zat I believe."

"You have some! I smell it! _Tenshi-senpai_ did too!"

Warren walked over and tried to catch Akira, who was unbelievably fast and was getting away from him by climbing all over Kurt. "Akira, you really need to stop smelling people and then telling them what their breath smells like. Most people take offense."

"_Ja_, but he's right, I did. _Kleines_ smarty-pants, is vhat he is..." Kurt smiled, grabbing Akira off of him and holding him upside down by the ankles. While Akira was busy wiggling and giggling, not able to get free, Kurt looked back up at Warren. "_Engel_, vill you please take him on _vone_ little flight? _Für mich_? He's been vanting it for a long time."

Warren looked from Akira to Kurt. "What about Cadence? She said she didn't want to see my wings until she figured it out herself."

"Cady-_oba-chan_ not even up yet!" Akira shouted. "She is lazy, _no da_."

"_Ja_," Kurt agreed. "_Dämonin_ von't come out of her room for another few hours. She has a rule not to get up before noon on veekends. You're safe. _Und_ hey - I'll even keep vatch outside her room. If she does get up I'll distract her, keep her avay from ze garden _und_ any vindows."

Akira giggled. "Kurt-_danna_, you the 'Vindow Viper'! Gahahaha!"

Kurt shook his head, but he was smiling. "_Schlange_! If you didn't have any sugar yet zen vhy are you so hyper?"

Warren sighed, looking at them. He held out his arms. "Alright, give him here. _One_ time, Akira, do you hear me? I'm not going to make a habit of giving people rides. And after I do, you have to answer a question for me."

"All yours." Kurt handed Akira's ankles to the other mutant, then flashed a grin and teleported. "Off to Cady's!"

Warren blinked a few times, then looked down at Akira who was still fidgeting and trying to get away. "Um..."

"_Tenshi-senpaaaaai_," he called in a singsong voice. "Can you put me down now? All the blood going to my head, get dizzy..."

Once Warren had gotten Akira back to his feet, he took his hand and gave it a gentle but firm squeeze. "Alright, Akira." He started leading the child out to the gardens. "I have some in-flight rules you have to follow..."

"As long as don't have to wear seatbelt."

"... Um... I don't even have seatbelts."

"Good."

"You have to hold on to me as tight as you can so you don't fall. If you feel dizzy or your stomach hurts, tell me and I'll stop. And _please_ don't scream too loudly, or you'll wreck my flight pattern and I'll run us into a wall." They were outside now, and Warren looked down at Akira with what he hoped was a stern expression. "And above all, don't you _ever_ let go. Don't even take one hand off of me. First scenario, you could lose the rest of your grip and fall. Second scenario, you'll throw off my balance and we'll crash. Do you understand all that, Akira?"

Akira nodded. "_Hai, Tenshi-senpai_."

Warren took his coat off and undid the harness, placing them both on a nearby bench. His wings spread out, and he saw Akira staring in wonder, his mouth gaping open. "Alright, stop gawking and listen to me for a minute, Akira, then you can stare all you want."

Akira shook his head and blinked, a light blush settling across the bridge of his nose. "_G-Gomen_."

Thank goodness that Kurt had taught Warren a little Japanese so he could communicate. "_Iidesuyo_. And are you going to follow all the rules? Otherwise this is the first and _only_ time I take you flying."

"Uh-huh, _yakusoku suru_. I promise."

"Alright, good." Warren picked Akira up from the front and clasped his hands firmly around the boy's back. "Okay, arms and legs around me."

Akira did as he was told, little fists resting against the lower part of Warren's back and legs wrapped around so that his feet were just a few inches below his hands. "Ready, _Tenshi-senpai_!"

"Holding on tight?"

"_Un_!"

"Alright, here we go." With that, Warren flapped his wings a few times before lifting off and taking to the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>Japanese Translations first!<strong>

**Tenshi = Angel (MWAHAHA he picked up this habit from Kurt, except Cady's the only one he calls her real name...)**

**-senpai = used to address someone who is your superior, such as in high school, if you are a freshman and the person you're talking to is a sophomore, you address them with -senpai**

**ohayou = good morning (informal version, since Akira thinks of Warren as a friend)**

**-san = used to show respect; equivalent of Mr., Mrs., Ms./Miss (Akira calls Logan "Rogan" because there's no letter "L" in Japanese or Chinese; Akira can pronounce it, but he likes to annoy Logan XD)**

**zannen = too bad/darn it**

**sou desu ka? = oh really? (sarcastic)**

**kimoi! = ew!**

**kimoi desu! = that's gross!**

**sugoi desu = it's cool/awesome**

**tori = bird**

**hebi = snake**

**kanben shite kure yo = come on/c'mon**

**-danna = Master; is basically the highest title of respect you can give someone (BOY does Akira like Kurt... lol...)**

**sono youna tanoshi-sa = such fun**

**un = yeah (Deidara fans probably recognize this one... XD)**

**buingu! = boo!**

**oba-chan = Auntie (and he calls Cady this? HMMMMM...)**

**no da = you know**

**hai = yes**

**gomen = sorry (more polite version is gomenasai)**

**iidesuyo = it's okay/that's alright/it's fine**

**yakusoku suru = I promise**

**NOW FOR GERMAN:**

**Schlange = Snake**

**schaudenfreude = German word that was integrated into English, means that you enjoy the pain or misery of others (basically a slightly more harmless version of sadism, it's not always serious, Kurt's using it in the sense that someone enjoys tricking others)**

**kleines = little**

**Für mich? = For me?**

**Hope you liked! Wahahahaha!**

**Reviews would be nice... you can have a pair of pajamas with clouds on them! :D**

**Warren: H-Hey! *grabs* Those are mine! W-Were you in my room again?**

**Me: *whistles and walks off***


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is actually pretty sad, I think...**

**Hey! Don't worry, after the next chapter there's going to be some butt-kicking. But the question is, who is doing the butt-kicking and who is GETTING their butt kicked?**

**... Well hey, don't look at me, I don't have ALL the answers...**

**Stay tuned after this chapter for an important commercial message sponsored by Geico. :D (Not really but wouldn't that be AWESOME?)**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"<em>Sugoi<em>!" Akira cried happily as Warren lowered him back to the ground. "I can't wait to brag to everyone about this! Jeremy-_kun_ and Lyssa-_chan_ will be so jealous!"

"Whoa now." Warren folded his wings and grabbed his harness. "Akira, you've got to be careful who you tell. People can be mean, don't you know that?" He smiled, his voice softening as he smoothed down Akira's now-messy black hair and straightened out his clothes. "You don't want me to get locked up in a giant birdcage, do you?"

"No way! I be careful, _Tenshi-senpai_."

"Good." Warren slipped the straps over his head, making sure they landed on his folded wings, and buckled the first part, that went over his stomach. He then fastened the two straps that went over his shoulders, tying them into the first belt over his stomach. At last the two small straps that came from the ones on his shoulders, those were the only ones left - interlacing and locking into each other across his chest.

He glanced down as he did the last two, and saw Akira giving him a curious expression with those dark eyes. The child walked closer, reached up, and grabbed one of Warren's hands, tugging at the strap. An intense look shone in his eyes, shining off the hazel orbs. "What is this, _Tenshi-senpai_?"

"This?" He began to fasten the straps, concentrating more on Akira at the moment; the straps were easy now. "It's my harness."

"Then why you not wear it while we fly?"

Warren chuckled. "It's not that kind of harness, Akira." He turned around so that the child could see his wings pressed to his back. "See? Now I can fit my clothes over my wings."

"Oh. Does it hurt?" Akira asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It used to, when I first got it, but it doesn't hurt anymore. Sometimes my wings want to get out though, and I have to fly soon or else it starts itching bad."

"Ohh." Unexpectedly, Akira walked closer and wrapped his arms around Warren, pressing his face against the older boy's stomach and chest, and all of a sudden Warren could feel liquid running down his skin. "I wish... you not have to hide it. It not fair. Beautiful, _Tenshi-senpai_... your wings beautiful. Why you have to hide them? Not fair." A strangled sob came from him, and his arms tightened around Warren. "Everyone hate us. We are freaks."

Warren bent down, gently prying Akira away from him. After everything Cadence had already told him, this was only making it worse. He really knew how Akira felt now, the feeling of being hated and feared by everyone. When you were just a child, that was the worst feeling you could have, knowing that those who cared about you were few and far between. He gathered the boy in his arms and stood up with him, rubbing his back. "Don't cry. Not everybody hates us. I don't hate you, you're my friend."

Akira rested his head against the space between Warren's shoulder and neck, sniffling, as more tears came in contact with the flesh there. Small fingernails dug into the bare skin of his arm and lower back, as Akira clung to him. "_Sorera ga watashi-tachi o kizutsukeru you ni chui shimasu_," he whimpered, sobs catching in his throat. "Please... protect us, _Tenshi-senpai_..."

Warren leaned down and put his cheek against Akira's soft raven hair. "It's alright. It's going to be alright, Akira. _Shinpai shinaide_," he whispered, a bit unsure of his pronunciaton. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Promise."

* * *

><p>Kurt walked into the lounge, where he found Warren curled up on the couch in his coat, half-asleep. "<em>Engel<em>," he said softly as he sat beside the other. "_Engel_, are you feeling _gut_?" He shook Warren's shoulder.

Warren looked up, shaking his hair out. "Hmm...? Oh. Yes, I'm fine." He sat up, stretching his arms and rubbing the back of his neck. "Tired, is all. I haven't been getting much sleep the last few nights."

"Mm. So, how did ze flight with _Schlange_ go earlier? Smooth? Or did he make you go all villy-nilly vith the loop-de-looping? He gets a little crazy vith any'sing zat is like a roller coaster."

Warren chuckled, scratching his head. "No, it was fine. Well, fine until he saw my harness, when I landed..."

"Oh." Kurt frowned, leaning forward and turning the television volume down so they could hear each other. "He got a little upset, _nein_?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I-I didn't mean for him to cry... I had no idea he'd react that way to it."

Kurt nodded, giving a heavy sigh. "_Schlange_, he... is much like _Dämonin_. So emotional. I think zat's vhere he picked it up from."

Warren blinked. "Oh, I... never asked him..."

"Asked him vhat?" Kurt tapped his ear. "You can ask me, I know a lot about him. I could probably answer better zan he could!"

"Well, I... I was just wondering..." Warren brought his legs up and crossed them to sit on the couch Indian-style. "How did he... I mean, he _saw_ Cadence kill his parents..."

"Oh, yes..." Kurt sighed again, shaking his head. "Akira, he is a very trusting person by nature. Total opposite of Cady. He vas scared of her at first, but... Cady told me he simply fainted, after she did it. He vas asleep nearly ze whole plane ride back here, she said. He voke up near ze end, and Cady said he vas crying, and he called her '_Okaa-chan_'."

"'Mommy'." Warren pressed his wrist to his eyes. He thought how awful Cadence must have felt; she wasn't his mother and he could never have his mother again because of her. "Then how... how did he trust her after that? When he realized she wasn't?"

Kurt shrugged. "He sort of... just accepted it. Like I said, he trusts others so easily. His mother vasn't zere, his father vasn't zere, and he... he didn't have anybody else. Cady vas zere, and she vas ze vone who held him, comforted him. He attached to her, even though he knew she vas ze vone... ze reason his parents vere not zere. He missed zem, but Cady took care of him too. She kept him safe after he got here. You trust somevone who protects you, _nein_?"

"I suppose so... it does make sense." Warren gripped his ankles and blew out a breath, his bangs rising upward as he did. "I just... Kurt, I... I have such a hard time with understanding it. After all... my father protected _me_. He gave me shelter and food, and everything I ever needed or wanted. And yet I still never trusted him completely. Maybe I did when I was that age - four, wasn't he, when all this happened? But when I got older..."

"Trust can easily fade over time, _Engel_. I vill not deny zat." Kurt reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a string of rosary beads. He began to finger them as he continued to speak. "Sometimes, vhen ve see a person vone vay, ve vant to think zere is no other side to zem. But... sometimes... sometimes, ve begin to imagine things zey might have done or have ze potential to do. Bad things, is vhat I mean. Zat is vhen ve start to doubt zem... distrust zem."

He gave a nod to Warren and offered the red beads in the younger man's direction. "Zat is vhat happened vith you und your father. In ze four years since Akira has been here, he has somevhat learned to distrust his parents."

"Has he?" Warren reached out and ran two fingers over the beads before putting his hands in his lap again. "You mean... he... he trusts Cadence now more than he ever trusted his parents?"

Kurt piled the rosary in the palm of one hand, then pressed both hands together and to his heart. "It is a bit disturbing, but yes. She did save him from ze abuse. He remembers her as _Dämonin_, ze superhero - ze person who took him avay from a life vhere he had no'sing but pressure put on him. Took him to zis life, vhere he is praised more zan scolded. It is a little sad to think about, but sometimes, _Engel_... sometimes, zat is just ze vay of ze vorld, _mein fruend_."

"I think I understand a little better." He did, but his mind was still filled with jumbling images and words. Flashbacks of his childhood, bits of conversations he'd had with Cadence, the vision of Akira crying and the feeling of the child's arms wrapped around him in pain, imploring him to protect him. But really, what could _he_ do? The boy should be trusting Cadence to protect him. Warren couldn't do anything. "Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt shrugged, offering a bittersweet smile. "_Überhaupt klein problem_. I have zese kinds of talks vith _meine Dämonin_ all ze time. Although, zere is usually a greater threat of injury vith her..."

"Talking about me again, Kurt?"

Both men's eyes snapped up to see Cadence leaning against the doorframe between the lounge and kitchen. She had her arms crossed over her chest, pushing her breasts up. They both noticed she was wearing an especially vicious expression. She didn't really look all that... _furious_. It was more of a subdued pissed-off vibe she had going on. And even though she'd addressed Kurt, Warren noticed her eyes were pointed squarely at him.

"Ah!" Kurt leaned forward toward Cadence, giving her a slightly uneasy smile and flashing a fang at her. "_Guten abend_, Cady! How vas your day?"

She didn't answer. Instead she just advanced on Warren. Her arms didn't uncross as she walked, and she gave the poor guy a barely restrained glare. "You know, Warren, Kurt told me some interesting things about you."

"_Ach der lieber_," Kurt muttered, quickly standing up. "I am in ze trouble! _Bis nachher, Engel_!" With that, he had teleported out of the room, leaving a puff of navy blue smoke and the smell of sulfur.

Warren gulped. Being left alone with Cadence when she was in a mood like this - AKA, angry in any way, shape, or form - was not a good thing. "I, um... I... may I, um... do something for you, Cadence?"

She finally dropped her arms, but instantly placed her hands on her hips. All the while she never broke eye contact. She looked him straight in the eye as she said her next sentence:

"Show me your wings."

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFHANGERRRRRRR!<strong>

**I think Warren's in a bit of trouble here... hehehehe...**

**Japanese Translations:**

**-kun = used to denote friendship, used mostly for boys but sometimes in reference to girls by someone who is substantially older than the girl**

**-chan = same as -kun, but for girls; is often used in reference to younger boys as well**

**sorera ga watashi-tachi o kizutsukeru you ni chui shimasu = Don't let them hurt us (awwwwww!)**

**shinpai shinaide = don't worry (lol, I love Japanese-talking Warren...)**

**Okaa-chan = Mommy**

**German Translations:**

**gut = good (kind of easy to figure out, lol)**

**mein freund = my friend (male version thingy...)**

**Überhaupt klein problem = no problem at all**

**guten abend = good evening**

**ach der lieber = oh heavens/oh dear (I dunno which Kurt is using... you can imagine that! XD)**

**bis nachher = see you later**

**OK, important commercial message: Who here likes Jason Stryker? *raises hand* Hmm? C'mon, c'mon, anybody? Huh? I'm the only one and I'm insane for liking him? OK... well, I'll tell you anyway! Oneshot about him and an OC comin' your guys' way! I should be finished with it soon, and when it's up it will be called "Haunted". If you wanna checky checky it out. :D It would make-eth me happy if you did and left a review, Jason is super underappreciated!**

**Warren: ... Could the reason you like him just be because he has the same first name as that man from the Friday the 13th movies?**

**Me: GO AWAY YOU'LL RUIN MY OBSESSION! *shoves him into the closet* And you think about what you did!**

**Warren: *inside the closet* *sigh* Why does she do this to me... and why do I stick around?**

**Reviews are loved, loved, loved! Thanks for reading this AND the super long author's notes! ^^**


	10. Chapter 10

**BUM BA DUM BUM BUMMMMM.**

**Chapter 10, I'm so happy! I love reaching chapter 10 in my stories, it's like a guarantee that I'm going to finish it. WAHAHAHA.**

**Warren: *hangs up Milestone Poster on the fridge* So I take this down when you reach chapter 20, right?**

**Me: Yep, and you put the other one up! *points to a bigger poster***

**Warren: Sometimes I think I'm your slave instead of your muse...**

**SO. As the tenth chappie, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who's stuck with me and reviewed so far. *takes a deep breath***

**Thanks to: arachnidsGrip, Auluna, Mara, Kilik Saiyaku-Captain Green, Chishio chuudoku, Gloo1997, TheOnlyMarauderette, and Echo Dancer! LOVE YOU ALL BUNCHES! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren blinked a few times, swallowing loudly. Had she really figured it out? Had she pieced together whatever clues Kurt had given her and solved the puzzle of his mutation? "Um... er... I..." Maybe the approach he'd tried on Akira would work on her. "What makes you think I even <em>have<em> wings, Cadence?"

"Don't you dare pull _that_ crap." She stalked over and began to undo the front of his coat. "I'm not stupid, Warren. Take this thing off and show me."

"W-Whoa!" He grabbed her hands lightly, and looked at her. "Please! Cadence, don't _do_ that!"

She snorted, yanking her hands away from his. "Oh what? So now you're uncomfortable with going shirtless? My _God_, is there anything that_ doesn'_t make you nervous?"

"Calm down." He held his coat closed in front of him, and looked her over. And _boy_, did she look mad... "Why don't you sit down? It's late, Cadence - if you yell you're going to wake people up."

"I don't care." Even as she said this she was sitting down next to him. "You hid this from me, Warren."

"You asked me not to show you until you had figured it out."

She narrowed her eyes. "The sooner you find out that I'm a mass of hypocrisy, Warren, the better off you'll be. I thought you would show me anyway, when you trusted me enough, no matter what I said. But apparently you don't trust me any more than I trust you."

"That isn't true. I trust you very much."

"Not enough to go against what I said and just show me already!"

He took a breath, and reached over, placing his hand on top of hers. "Cadence... I wanted to show you earlier. Believe me, I've always wished I could show you from the first day we met. But I can't. It's hard to show anybody until I really know how they'll react... and sometimes I imagine it wrong. Everybody's always scared."

Cadence scoffed, but she didn't move her hand. "Oh please. Scared of wings? What the hell is there to be scared of? It's not like _you_ can kill somebody just by thinking about it. If people are scared of _you_, little Jellyfish, then maybe I need to show some of them what fear really is. And besides... the people you showed, none of them ever knew what you were about to show them, right? I do. It's not like you're all, 'Okay, I've known you a long time so you need to know something about me'..." She let out a sigh, then looked up and met his eyes.

"Just show me, Warren. Then we can both get on with our night."

He let out a shaky, apprehensive breath. "Well, I... I don't want to scare you with..."

"Are you _kidding_ me? Have you seen the symbols carved into Kurt's skin, Warren?" She looked down at her lap, and he noticed that she was wringing her hands. "I saw him _make_ one of them." She looked back up at him, but her fingers didn't stop fidgeting. "Still think you're going to succeed in surprising me?"

"Why... why does he do that?" Warren asked, half hoping to make her forget about his wings and half genuinely curious.

She rolled her eyes. "He says it's punishment for his sins - apparently they're the holy symbols of Gabriel the Archangel. He told me that each symbol stands for a sin."

"So... there aren't just seven anymore?"

"Fucking bird-brain moron." She reached over and smacked him on the back of the head. "Can you ever, like, be serious?" Her hands returned to fidgeting. "He just... they stand for every sin he's committed. I keep telling him there's no physical way somebody could be _that_ sinful, but he swears to God it's true. And coming from Kurt... it's true."

"Why was he doing it, when you watched? I mean, what sin was that for?"

"Wrath." Cadence tucked her hair behind her ear, even though it just slithered back to her face. "Earlier in the day he got angry at me and Akira. And I walked into his room to apologize... found him carving a new symbol into his hand." She let out a humorless giggle. "I freaked out. He told me... that he'd gotten so mad he wanted to hit me, and that he was wrong for letting anger control him."

Warren reached over and took Cadence's hand lightly, fitting his fingers into the spaces between hers. "I'm sure he just... felt bad. I've been so angry I wanted to hit someone, and it's an awful feeling you get afterwards - the guilt. Isn't that what you felt, on the plane with Akira? Kurt says he called you '_Okaa-chan_' by mistake. That must not have felt good."

She stiffened, and yanked her hand away. "Damn right it didn't. But boy, we are _not_ talking about that right now! Okay? We're talking about your wings that you haven't shown me!" She stood up and took a few steps back. "So... come on, off with the coat and out with the wings."

"I didn't think you had figured it out yet."

"Oh, I hadn't. But then I had this dream, where Kurt's clues were the soundtrack, and I fell off a building, and you caught me, and you were _flying_. I mean, in my dream you didn't have wings... but I heard Kurt's voice going 'Angel, Angel'." She put her hands on her hips. "And it wasn't all that hard to piece together when Akira came running into my room yelling, '_Tenshi-senpai! Tenshi-senpai_! _Mitsubasa_!' while going like this." She flapped her arms. "Future reference, you probably shouldn't trust the kid with any secrets."

Warren felt his face turn red. "B-But he promised he'd be careful who he told! He said he wasn't going to brag about it."

Cadence snickered. "The boy learned to lie from _me_."

"That explains it." Warren sighed, pressing his hand to his face. "Do we really have to-"

"Yes, right now. Can't wait till morning."

"Alright, fine." He stood up and took his coat off, laying it on the couch. He gave the raven-haired woman a glance before beginning to undo his harness.

"Um." He could just hear the annoyance in her voice, and she probably had both eyebrows raised at him. "Warren... the hell is _that_ thing?"

"A harness," he answered simply, feeling déjà-vû from his conversation with Akira earlier.

"For?"

"My wings. They're folded up right now, held in place by this." He undid the next part of it. "It's hard to fit clothes over them unless I have this on."

"Couldn't you just, like... keep them folded up without the harness?"

"No. Sometimes they react to my emotions, and if I get upset they kind of start to... lose control. Like, they'll start unfolding by themselves, if I don't have the harness on to keep them against my back. Hold on, I'm just about done."

He unfastened the last part over his stomach, having undone it in reverse of how he put it on. His wings spread out, unfolding in a sort of relief like always, spanning a length slightly longer than the couch. He flapped them slightly, nervous of how she'd react.

She was just... staring at him. Her mouth was open a little, and her eyes weren't really wide, but she was _staring_. Her arms hung limp by her sides, and she blinked fast several times. He saw her take half a step back, one foot shuffling behind her on the carpet. "Holy Lake Michigan..."

He rubbed his arms, timidly taking a step toward her. He wings were swept back a bit by the motion. "Well... what do you think? Because that really wasn't a very well conveyed interpretation of your thoughts..."

She shook her head slowly, taking another step back for every step he took closer to her. "I... really should have taken Kurt seriously when he said you're an angel. I thought he was just trying to be all spiritual..."

He fluttered his wings lightly, still nervous. Why was she backing up whenever he took a step forward? "Do you... like them?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an intense look. He really, honestly thought she was going to levitate something (something heavy) and hit him in the head with it. "I don't know," she finally replied, looking at him but refusing to meet his eyes. "Do _you_ like them?"

"W-Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sometimes..."

"Then I'm undecided." She took one last look at him, then turned on her heel and walked away.

Warren blinked after her, almost not believing what had just happen. She'd _asked_ him to show her, and he did, and she just walked away. He held back a barrage of hot tears, blinking rapidly, as he picked up his harness and began to fasten it over himself again.

People always left when he showed them, but...

"I thought she'd be different," he mumbled as he buckled the first strap. "I thought she knew..."

* * *

><p><strong>Japanese translations: (there's only one but WHATEVER)<strong>

**mitsubasa = beautiful wings (mi = beautiful, tsubasa = wings)**

**... ASDFGHJKL; POOR WARREN. ;( ToT**

**What is Cadence thinking? Does she really not like his wings? *gasp* When are they going to fu-**

**Warren: AHEM!**

**Me: Uh... I mean... kiss?**

**Kurt: ... Hopeless, zat dirty mind of hers... ve need some soap...**

**Me: *runs away* I DON'T WANT MY BRAIN WASHED! IT'S PERFECTLY CLEAN THANK YOU VERY MUCH!**

***Pyro and Gambit walk in, totally unaware of what's happening***

**Gambit: ... and I told ya, I just don' get how ya don' like ICE CREAM!**

**Pyro: Oh I dunno, maybe because if I get any on me I'm USELESS?**

**Me: *comes back in* Uh... guys? You're not IN the story yet. And why are you arguing about ice cream?**

**Gambit: Hey! Gambit jus' wan' a l'il screen time!**

**Pyro: ... And I just wanna blow shit up. :D**

**Me: Well, you'll get your wishes, but not right now! Out! *shoves them out of frame***

**Well... reviews equal love, so if you love me and this story and Warren, please review! They're like my CRACK.**

**Love you all! ^^**


	11. Chapter 11

**OK sooo... I know some of you were surprised by the last chapter. And you felt Cadence needed to explain herself. XD And I agree... so she is explained. But it's Kurt who does the explaining, as usual... lulz...**

**Oh and here's a little bit of the action I promised, towards the end here. I've added Logan and Hank to our mix of mutant-interact-ology! BWAHAHAHA!**

**... Well, enjoy...**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p><em>3 days later...<em>

Kurt walked into the lounge, where Warren was sitting reading a book. The blue mutant surveyed the scene, and sighed when he saw no trace of Cadence. He would have expected them to be together, considering all had went well with the wings thing.

"_Engel_?" He walked over, and his gold eyes met Warren's blue ones as the winged mutant looked up from his book. "Have you seen _Dämonin_ today? I cannot seem to find her anyvhere."

Warren returned to his book, seeming bored. "No, I haven't. Did you check her room? She's probably still asleep. It's not noon."

"_Nein, nein_, _Fraülein_ Munroe usually drags her out of bed by ten on ze veekdays. She doesn't have any classes to attend or teach but it's nice to have everyvone avake." Kurt sat down, sighing and shaking his head. "I don't understand, I have looked everyvhere I could think of."

"Maybe she's playing hide-and-seek with Akira or something."

Sensing something was wrong with the other man, Kurt scooted closer, peeking at his book. _Interview with a Vampire_. "Ach! Vhy are you reading zat?"

"Cadence left it on the kitchen table a few days ago and never came back for it. I don't have anything to read in my room, I didn't feel like going to the library, and... it's surprisingly well written."

"She just _left_ it zere?" Kurt sounded worried. "Oh, zat is her favorite series. She keeps zem under _lock und key, Engel_. She vould never just leave it somevhere..."

"It's very good, I see why she relates to Lestat."

"Oh no, she just likes him because he is ze personification of undead beauty... und he has sparkly eyes, apparently. I do not understand _vhy_ zey made a movie of zat book just to appease ze fangirls..."

"She's shallow, isn't she?"

Kurt shrugged. "Ah, vhat can I say? She bases every'sing first on ze physical aspects. _Zen_ she explores every'sing else."

"Guessing that's the reason she ran away from me when I showed her my wings."

"Ohhh, so _zat_ is vhy you are in such a foul mood. She ran avay? I cannot imagine her doing zat to somevone."

"She said a few things, then left. She said she was undecided as to how she felt about my wings."

"Ahhhh, I see ze problem." Kurt took the book away from Warren, snapping it shut and putting it down on the table. "You must give her some time to adjust herself, _Engel_."

"Adjust herself to _what_?" Warren did feel a little angry at her, but he was more hurt than angry. "She knew I was a mutant."

"She knew I vas too. But vhen I arrived here, she und I only spoke to each other. She did not see me for a few days as we carried on conversations. She had to adjust herself greatly to my appearance." He placed his hands on his chest and roved them down, as if inviting Warren to give him the once-over. "Look at me! She nearly smacked - actually no, she _did_ smack me over ze head, vhen I let her see me. Until she figured out it vas me, I vas getting a beating."

"How long did it take for her to figure it out?"

"Vell, vhen I called her _Dämonin_ und told her to stop hitting me, zat vas vhen she vent, '_Kurt_? Zat's _you_?' und I said yes. Betveen you und I, _Engel_, she goes into a bit of an... _emotional_ mood vhen she first sees somevone's mutation."

"I don't see how much more emotional she could possibly get, Kurt."

"Oh, it's not her fault, _Engel_. Zat is her accepting process. She is trying to accept her own abilities all over again... und she is also trying to learn to see ze other person as zey are - vith their abilities. She's probably just... hiding somevhere, trying to picture you vith zose vings so she can get used to it."

Warren sighed, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. "I really don't understand her, Kurt, I just don't. I mean, it's not like I have them out all the time, right? She could just... look at me like I'm any normal person when I don't have them out."

Kurt mirrored his sigh, and patted the younger man on the back. "_Engel_... she doesn't vork zat vay, unfortunately. She vants to see everyvone for who zey really are... not vhat zey are vhen zey are hiding from ze vorld."

"... How long until she accepts me?"

"Eh. Varies. Took her about... I vant to say a veek to accept my mutation. Five days to accept Akira's, I think. But you? You are lucky. If she ever comes out of hiding today, she may be ready to accept your vings. It vill be a new record."

Warren nodded, leaning forward as he'd accidentally pressed his wings too hard against the back of the couch. "I really hope she doesn't decide that she won't accept my wings. I thought she would understand what it feels like, not to be truly accepted because of something you can do..."

"She understands zat perfectly, believe me." Kurt looked around, as if expecting to see Cadence intruding on their conversations once again. "Don't tell anybody I have told you, but... nobody trusted her vhen she first came here. Nobody but Dr. Grey vould even speak to her villingly. Zey all tolerated her, but zey vere all afraid of her."

"That's difficult to imagine," Warren muttered sarcastically.

"Not vith her personality back zen," Kurt chuckled. "She vas a lot like now, but she vas shyer. She vould try to talk to people, but vhen she sensed zey did not trust her... vell, she just lost her temper. Zat's vone thing zat hasn't changed, zat her abilities come vith her emotions."

"That could be said for a lot of mutants," Warren argued. "It doesn't give her an excuse."

"I never said I vas trying to make excuses, _Engel_. She does need to control it better. But... you must forgive her sometimes, for her attitude and lack of control." Kurt took out his rosary, like he had the last time, and began to fidget with the beads. "Dr. Grey's passing... vas very hard on all of us, but so very hard on Cady. The only vone who suffered more zan she did vas Logan. Dr. Grey... vas so good to Cady. So helpful. Now zat she is gone... _meine Dämonin_, she... is trying to find another vay to control herself."

Warren looked at the rosary wrapped around Kurt's fingers, and tried to think about everything. About everything that had happened in such a short time, about Cadence and her disposition, about what he remembered Jean Grey to be like even though he barely knew her... about everything all the students and teachers here had said to him. He looked down. "She was a telepath too."

"_Ja_, und stronger zan Cady. Zat vas vhy she vas able to help so much." Kurt reached over and pressed his rosary against Warren's hand while not letting go of it. "Zat is vhy Cady has regressed to having so much trouble." He drew his beads away, and gave Warren a smile. "She vill accept your mutation soon. I know she vill."

Warren shook his head, exhaling with a shaky smile. "Boy, I sure hope so."

All of a sudden, Akira was running into the room. He was crying and screaming at the top of his lungs, and he began tugging at both men's hands, using one of his hands on each. "Kurt-_danna_! _Tenshi-senpai_! You have come with me!"

"_Ach der lieber_, Akira!" Kurt pulled the child in, placing his free hand on the child's shoulder. "Vhat is going on?"

"C-Cady-_oba-chan_..." Big tears were rolling down Akira's cheeks as he tried once again to yank the two up and make them follow him. "She with McCoy _Sensei_! _Kanojo wa hidoku kizutsukete iru_!"

Warren's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Akira. If he was translating that right from what Kurt had taught him... "Kurt... did he just say what I think he said?"

Kurt was already up on his feet and dragging the both of them down the hall, probably not wanting to risk using his powers on three people. "Cady is hurt! _Ach_, I knew she'd get herself in trouble vone of zese days!"

* * *

><p>Once the three of them reached the hospital wing, they found Logan already there. He was shouting something at Cady, while Dr. Hank McCoy just looked on helplessly, obviously not quite sure what to do. As they got closer to her bedside they could hear Logan.<p>

"... and I didn't think you were this damn stupid!" He was gripping her arm so tightly he was probably bruising her. "What the fuck was going through your mind, huh? ! Going after Sabertooth _alone_ and not telling anybody? ! I can't even look at you right now!" He started to stalk off.

Cadence, who they all saw was covered in gashes and blood, looked after him with an unidentifiable expression in her eyes. She coughed a few times, blood trickling down from a cut on her lip, before calling weakly after him. "I'm sorry, Logan. I was stupid."

"Damn right you were!" Logan only turned around halfway. "The hell, have you been drinking or something? What made you crazy enough to think you could take _him_ on your own? !"

"I was going to call you for backup..." Another cough, more rattling this time, and her entire body convulsed like she'd just been plunged into ice water. "But I didn't want you to get hurt..."

"And you getting hurt is a better alternative?" He stiffened as he turned back around. "The Professor would be disappointed in you, Demon. Does that make you happy? Totally disappointed."

And he was gone.

As Kurt and Akira crowded over one side of the bed, Warren moved to the other side, near Hank. Cadence looked up at him, but she didn't look in his eyes. Her hand twitched, and it looked like she was fumbling for something. Trying to help, he lightly took her hand in his. "Cadence... I-I'm sorry..."

She chuckled bitterly, squeezing his fingers. "What the hell are _you_ sorry about, huh, Flyboy? I'm the one who was enough of an idiot to go after that hulking dumbass with teeth and claws. Shredded me all to hell."

Warren looked her over, swallowing loudly. If she'd gone after Sabertooth... and if she'd been "shredded all to hell"... why weren't her clothes torn too? There were a few missing patches here and there, but it didn't look like she'd been attacked by anything with claws. "Cadence... I've been... mad at you... I'm sorry for that..."

"I deserve to have you mad at me. I'm a bitch, remember?" Her eyes shifted to Kurt and Akira, but she didn't meet their eyes either. "Akira. Kurt. Go get the others, I have to talk to Ororo."

Kurt nodded and picked Akira up, keeping him in a tight grip so he couldn't wiggle free. "Come on, _Schlange_. Ve are going to pay a visit to Auntie Munroe."

Once they were gone, Warren moved to the side of the bed where they'd previously been. "Cadence, what... were you thinking?"

She shook her head slowly. "I was... thinking... I was a lot stronger than I am. I was just... testing myself."

Hank moved closer to her, and his fingers brushed against her clothing and near some of the marks on her body. "You don't fool me even in the slightest, Cadence. Whatever caused these deep lacerations, it certainly wasn't similar to Sabertooth in any way."

She looked away from both of them, closing her eyes. She pursed her lips a few times and took a deep breath before answering.

"No, Dr. McCoy. It wasn't."

The conversation stopped there.

* * *

><p><strong>Japanese:<strong>

**kanojo wa hidoku kizutsukete iru = she's hurt badly**

**UH OH! Looks like Cady got herself into some trouble. But was it really Sabertooth that did this to her? Or was it someone - or some_thing_ - else?**

**... OK so it wasn't Sabertooth, obviously. Thanks for ruining it, Dr. McCoy! Cookies to anybody who tries to guess who it was. :D Even if you're not right you'll get a cookie! Everyone wins.**

**You know, even I'M still mad at Cadence for being mean to Warren. XD But don't worry, she'll apologize... I hope... or else Warren's gonna stay all mopey. Nobody wants that...**

**Reviews equal love! Thanks to everybody who reads and reviews! ^^**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Well I certainly left you hanging, no? MWAHAHAHA.**

**I'm still angry with Cadence, and I know some people are too soooo... I'll just say this, she'll get better. Promise.**

**Guess what guys? :D We're on page 50 already! That's what it says in my word processor. If I write 12 more chapters (knowing me... lulz...) we'll reach 100 pages in NO TIME. Isn't that AWESOME? D**

**Also wish my real-life boyfriend a happy birthday! Updating before I head to his house. (And NO, I'm not telling anybody where we areeeee!) Sometimes I wish my bf had wings like Warren... but then again, they're both perfect the way they are!**

**Which reminds me... my bf's never seen X Men! I must rent some movies... fufufufufu...**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>When Ororo arrived, Cadence sent Warren away, telling him to come back in an hour. She'd been holding his hand weakly for all that time, and still not looking in his eyes. He watched her, held her hand, and there was something in him that said she looked so beautiful this way, in need of help... but there was another, stronger force that didn't like it when she was hurt. That was the part he listened to. He couldn't deny how attractive she was, but he felt even guiltier than he had when he realized that it had taken her getting hurt for him to be reminded of it.<p>

Curious and worried, he decided to hang back near the doors. He wanted to hear what she was talking about with Ororo - after all, was it something so important she couldn't tell _him_?

Ororo strolled to the bedside, elegantly as always, and sat on the chair Hank provided for her. "Kurt said you were attacked by Sabertooth. But it doesn't look like it to me, Cadence." She crossed her arms. "Mind telling me the truth?"

Warren saw Cadence try to sit up, but Hank immediately pushed her back down, giving her a general reprimand. She gave him a slight glare, but must have decided that it wasn't worth it, because she stayed lying down. "Well... you can't tell any of the others, okay? Logan will get more pissed off than he's ever been before, and everyone else will go into mass hysteria."

Ororo gave the other woman a look that clearly said _You're really trying to push my buttons now, aren't you?_ "You know I can't agree to that until I've heard what you have to say. And you telling me to keep it a secret... that just makes me more suspicious. So come on, out with it. Who - or _what_ - attacked you?"

Cadence licked her lips, effectively cleaning away some of the blood, before taking a breath. "... We have a problem," she said solemnly. From where he was, Warren could see that she wasn't meeting Ororo's eyes either.

"What kind of problem? Minor? Major? World-threatening?"

Cadence looked up at the ceiling, and nodded. "All of the above."

"Will you just tell me who did this to..."

Cadence's expression immediately silenced the other mutant. "... Magneto's... back."

Ororo blinked a few times, then nodded. "Yeah... that would qualify as all of the above..."

Warren slid behind the wall and leaned his head against it, feeling a small shock go through him. Magneto... that was the mutant who'd despised and wanted to destroy his father's Cure. As he understood it, the arch enemy of the school. Wasn't he the one who ordered Warren's father to be thrown off that building? He couldn't remember, it had been a while...

"I thought they used the Cure on him," Warren mumbled. "He shouldn't be 'back'. He should be somewhere in Fort Lauderdale trying to live the rest of his life without his powers."

He thought about something else. Cadence... she clearly hadn't been ambushed by Sabertooth. She'd even said so herself, once Logan was out of the room. And now she'd told Ororo about Magneto.

But... if Magneto _had_ attacked Cadence... then how in the world was she still alive?

* * *

><p>When Ororo walked out a few minutes later, Warren was still outside, but he was sitting against the wall now, not listening to the rest of their conversation. Just thinking.<p>

Ororo shook his shoulder. "Warren? Shouldn't you be in your room?"

He glanced up. "Oh... I w-was just waiting... here. Until you were done talking to Cadence."

"Oh. Well, I'm finished. You can go talk to her now." Ororo jerked her thumb toward the room. "Don't stay too long though. Hank says she's gotta get some sleep."

"Alright... I'll see you later..."

"Okay, see you."

Warren stood up and watched Ororo as she left. She seemed like she was troubled but she was trying to hide it. Of course, who wouldn't be upset at finding out that the man who was basically trying to kill the entire school had somehow regained his powers? He let out a sigh and walked into the room.

Cadence looked worn out now. She had an arm over her eyes, and by the rising and falling of her chest it looked like she was breathing a little heavily. It looked like Hank had bandaged up most of her body while she was talking to Ororo, save for the small bruises on her face, mostly along her temples and that cut on her lip that had finally stopped bleeding. All in all, it looked like she didn't want to be bothered.

Well, too bad. Warren stepped closer and shook her arm. Sometimes people didn't want to be bothered, but some things were more important than not wanting to listen to someone else. "Cadence. We have to talk."

She moved her arm up to her forehead and looked at him. Her grassy eyes were tired and ringed by red. "Oh. Flyboy. Can't you just let me sleep? The one time I really want some rest and nobody leaves me alone."

Warren crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one side. "So when were you planning on telling my that my father's Cure is only temporary and there's somebody out there trying to kill us all?"

She shook her head. "I thought you didn't care about your dad _or_ that stupid Cure."

"I care when it could mean the lives of everyone in this institution."

Cadence didn't speak for a minute. She then turned to Hank and touched his arm. "Dr. McCoy, can you go get me some water? ... From the actual kitchen?"

He frowned. "Is there something amiss with the water from these sinks?"

"It tastes like Vicks. Just go, please?"

Hank looked from her to Warren, then back. "Oh... oh yes, I should go. I'll be back sooner than you can say-"

"Yeah, yeah, meningo-encephalitis. I get it. See you in like ten minutes."

Hank seemed to get the hint and hurried out of the room.

Cadence looked back up at Warren. "Okay, look. I didn't tell anybody but Ororo because I _knew_ everybody would freak out. You can't tell _anyone_, you got it? The people at this school will spook like a herd of cattle if they hear _anything_ about Magneto."

Warren sat down in the chair that Ororo had previously occupied. "Cadence... why didn't you do anything to stop him? Your powers are just as good as his. You could have stopped him from..."

She stopped him with a mirthless laugh. "Are you kidding me, Warren? You think Magneto did this? I would be dead right now if I ran into him." She stretched her fingers. "This was just a warning from Mystique."

"Mystique?"

"Yeah. Shapeshifter. Magneto's little cheerleader and messenger. Broke Dr. McCoy's big mushy heart a while ago. Total _bitch_, and coming from me..."

"Look, whatever." Warren shook his head. "Even if it _was_ just her... why... why didn't you fight back? Why didn't you do anything to keep yourself from getting beaten up like this?"

Her expression got angrier. She reached up and grabbed his hand. "She can turn herself into _anybody_, Warren."

"Oh... so she transformed into Kurt, or Akira?"

"You fucking _idiot_!" She swung blindly at him, but only succeeded in landing a weak punch on his wrist. "She turned into _you_!"

Warren felt his eyes widen. Well... why would that be a problem? He hadn't thought that there would have been any better target. "But I..."

"I mean, what the hell was I supposed to do, Warren?" She was getting worked up, and a few tears were rolling down her cheeks by this time. "Punch her in the mouth while she was wearing _your_ face? I couldn't do that!"

"Why not?"

She looked down, and it seemed like suddenly she had no further interest in explaining anything to him. Her eyes were still shining with tears though.

"Because, Warren... just because."

* * *

><p><strong>BUM BUM BUMMMMM! MAGNETO'S BACK! OH TEH NOEEEEEES! WE'RE ALL DOOOOOM-EEEED!<strong>

**... Or ARE we?**

**LOL. What's Mags got up his sleeve? How did Cady go about running into Mystique? How the hell did she get out aliiiiive?**

**... So yeah. Thanks for read and reviewing, guys! Next chappie soon! ^^**


	13. Chapter 13

**WHOOP. Sorry, it's been a few days. Couldn't figure out quite where I wanted this one to start.**

**Anybody else out there a Jason Stryker fan? *cowers in the corner* I feel like I'm the only one...**

**Stay tuned for an important commercial message please! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"Hey Flyboy? Has Stormy made her announcement to the school yet?"<p>

Warren looked up, watching as Cadence came into the lounge on her crutches. Most people might use the word "hobbled" for someone on crutches, but Warren knew better because that wasn't how she moved at all. She wasn't the least bit shaky, carrying herself with the same air that she always did; confident, annoyed, and a little blasé. "What announcement?"

She swung herself over, looked down at him, then swiped the book, the second in the _Interview With a Vampire_ series, out of his hands. She put it on the table and continued to stare at him for a minute. "I didn't leave _this_ one on the table, Flyboy. Next time you sneak into my room I'll chase you around with scissors."

"And would you stop _calling_ me that?" Warren sighed, making room for her on the couch.

"Would you prefer Richie Rich?" she quipped, lowering herself onto the cushions and leaning her crutches against the table. "And I already know that answer - it's a big old 'hello, hell no'."

He shook his head. "This is why I don't tell people about my wings. They start making fun the minute I do."

"Oh, come _on_." She elbowed him in the ribs. "Lighten up. I give everybody a nickname related to their mutation. Nothing personal."

"What about Akira? You've never called him anything but his name."

Her eyes got dark and she looked down and away from him. "Akira's different."

"What about me? I'm not different?"

She snapped her eyes back to him, and glared. "That's for you to prove to me. If you can prove to me that you're not exactly the same as every other asshole out there, rich or not, I'll never call you Flyboy again."

"And what about Kurt?" he pressed. "He isn't different?"

"Of course he is."

"Then why do you still call him 'Elfie'?"

"He's learned to like it. And besides..." She scooted herself back, blowing out a breath. "I don't know, okay? I told you, I'm... complicated."

Warren pursed his lips, then reached over and lightly brushed a few strands of jet black hair from her face. "Has anyone ever taken the time to figure you out yet?"

"Pfft." She drew her body away from him, but looked at him. "Kurt tried. But... it takes somebody with a lot of patience... a lot of pain."

"Pain? What does that have to do with anything?"

She shot him a sad but arrogant smile. "Does a king understand a martyr, Warren? No. Kings have everything they want, need, everything handed to them. Saints suffer, they go through pain in the name of God. Kings have no pain because they've always had it easy. It takes a saint to understand a saint."

Warren chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So you're a saint now? Far-reaching metaphor, I have to say..."

"Can it, King Midas." She took in a deep breath. "I just mean... nobody can... understand me... unless they know what I've been through. Unless they have as much pain in their heart as in mine." She met his eyes. "I'm guessing you have no clue what I'm talking about, huh?"

"No, I do." He lowered his hand, sliding it down to her forearm. "I understand exactly what you're talking about."

She cast a bitter look his way. "How can you? I doubt you've ever had your heart ripped from your chest... and certainly not several times."

He tried to smile at her, but even injured she was still intimidating. "Well, I... nobody's ever told you how beautiful your eyes are, have they?"

She snorted and turned away from him, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and obviously fuming. "Why are you trying to change the subject? We were talking about..."

"I know, I know, but... I just noticed it, with how close we are now. Nobody's ever mentioned it?"

"You're kidding me, right, War? All I've ever heard about my eyes is how creepy they are, how the color is weird, blah blah. Go on, I've heard it all, I dare you to come up with one."

"I'm not going to make fun of you." His hand, which had slipped when she turned away, found its way to her chin, and he slowly swiveled her face back toward him, so he could see her eyes again. "I like your eyes. I admit I haven't seen many people with green eyes... but they're... pretty."

She rolled her so-called pretty eyes and resumed looking into his eyes. "Well... I've never... seen anybody with eyes as blue as yours."

He chuckled. "What do you mean? Blue is blue."

She stifled a snicker. "Oh, you ought to hear the arguments I instigate between Kurt and Dr. McCoy, about that very subject. I mean, about who's 'navy blue' and who's 'sapphire' and who's 'cornflower blue' and... what the hell does a cornflower even look like, anyway?"

"You're asking the wrong person, Cadence." His hand slipped down and rested just between her neck and shoulder. "But thank you." Her long hair brushed just so against the back of his hand, and he once more drew it downward, this time coming to rest on her denim-covered thigh. He didn't miss the flicker of her eyes toward his fingers, the slight twitch, and the soft gasp she sucked in when she realized where his hand was. _She looks nervous... oh... should I not have my hand here? Maybe I ought to move..._ "What... What was that announcement you mentioned earlier?"

"I..." She fluttered her eyes shut, and he could almost swear he saw a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks as she scooted nearly to the other end of the couch. He heard her swallow, and her shoulders were trembling with quiet but heavy breaths, her fingers pushing her hair behind her ear. "Wh-What announcement?" she mumbled.

He had to laugh mentally, because she looked so flustered. Maybe she was starting to trust him, but maybe he was trying too hard? Maybe she just didn't like being touched if it wasn't necessary, but for some reason, it was a lot less difficult to talk to her if he was touching her... easier to figure out when she was mad and getting ready to hurl something at him so he could run. "The one you asked me about when you first came in. You wanted to know if Miss Munroe had made an announcement yet."

She looked at him and her face flushed a little, as she returned to her previous, more annoyed demeanor. "Oh, right. Sorry, I think Mystique cracked me one on the head. Dr. McCoy didn't do an MRI or anything so I might have some memory problems he doesn't know about." She cleared her throat and reached over to the table for her book.

Warren almost laughed, in spite of himself. "Cady!" He leaned over and grasped her free wrist, pulling her back toward him. "What is she going to _say_? I'm beginning to think you're avoiding the subject."

"Oh... sorry. No, she just... she came and talked to me earlier, while I was still in the hospital wing. Said she was going to talk to the younger mutants and those here who aren't X-Men... ask who was interested in becoming part of the team."

"That's... she, Logan, and Kurt are part of that group, aren't they?"

"Mmm." She pointed at him. "Mm, not Kurt. Says he's too peaceful for all the fighting they do. He just lives here. He teaches German, you know. Not as big a class as French... darn that Gigi Labelle!" She shrugged. "Anyway, I just wanted to know... 'cause whenever she's doing it, both of us, Akira, _and_ Kurt have to be there."

He blinked a few times in surprise, certain that he hadn't heard right. "You mean you're going too?"

She gave him an odd look. "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"I... was under the impression that... you..."

"I'm an X-Man? ... Err... woman... whatever. Are you _serious_? Nice try, but I'm the same as Kurt. Well, not for the same reasons, I guess..." She absently reached down and ran her fingers over her neon teal cast. "Fighting can get old after a while... tedious. Not to mention," she grinned, "I get really tired of having to see Dr. McCoy to get patched up."

"You were part of the team?"

"Used to be. But that's in the past, Warren, and this is now." She sighed, playing with a strand of her hair. "I'll only get involved if things get really crappy... if Magneto shows his ugly mug anywhere within twenty miles of this place."

Warren reached over and took her hand, and she looked over at him. "I'm going to join."

"What the hell-?" She yanked her hand away. "Warren, _no_!"

He quickly drew his hand away from her, noticing that her book was levitating on the table. It looked like she was getting upset. "What do you mean, 'no'? Cadence, it's my choice."

"You... You can't, Warren. You just can't, okay?" She didn't look at him, though the book had dropped to the floor. She took a few breaths, and it almost sounded as if she was crying. "You... You need to stay just the way you are, Warren. Like this. And the X-Men, being part of it, it... it changes you. You see _so_ many... things... and it just..." She shook her head. "It changes who you are... it might not be a bad change, but it damn sure ain't good."

"Cadence..." He placed a hand on her arm, and when she looked at him he noticed that the area beneath her eyes was glistening slightly. So she was crying... she really didn't want him to do this. "If that's what's worrying you, I promise that I won't change. I'll stay just this way, if that's what you want - if this is what makes you happy, I'll never change."

She shook her head again, her eyes never leaving his. Her hand reached up and coiled around his lightly, both on top of her arm. "I swore I wasn't gonna change either. But guess what? It's not up to us."

* * *

><p><strong>IMPORTANT COMMERCIAL MESSAAAAAGE!'<strong>

**OK, so I can't figure out how exactly I want a part of the story to be. And since I don't want to take down my current poll yet (and it's faster than sending people from here to my profile), I'm going to do a quick poll here in my author's notes. Without further ado...**

**Question: Should Warren and/or Cadence join/rejoin the X-Men?**

**And choices...**

**1. Warren joins the X-Men; Cadence doesn't**

**2. Cadence rejoins the X-Men; Warren doesn't**

**3. Both of them join the X-Men**

**4. Neither of them join the X-Men**

**So! In your review, please vote for the one you'd like to see. Whichever one gets the most votes is the one I'll use in the story.**

**Next chapter soon, and much love till then! ^^**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wheeeee~ This chapter was fun to write.**

**BUM BUMMMM thanks for all the reviews and votes guys! Wowee nine reviews for ONE chappie? That's what I'd like to get every chapter! HAHAHA. I've tallied them up... but guess what? I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU WHAT THE RESULT IS. Nope, I'm just gonna write it, and you're gonna find out!**

**Facebones: (from Metalocalypse wheee) WEEDLEDEEEEEEE!**

**Me: NOT. EVEN. IN. THE. RIGHT. CATEGORY. OUT. NOW. *pushes Facebones out***

**I hope you enjoy this one! Much drama and tension and all that good stuff coming soon WAHAHAHA.**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren struggled to keep up with Cadence as she hurried through the halls, not quite running but walking as fast as he could. "Even on crutches you're faster than me!" he called out, trying to catch his breath. "How does this make sense?"<p>

"Makes sense 'cause I say so, War." She glanced back at him and smirked, though she didn't slow down.

Kurt came up beside Warren, carrying Akira but surprisingly managing to keep up with Warren's pace. "So, vhat is new? _Schlange_, would you _please_ stop putting zat rubber band you call a tongue into my pocket? I already told you, I am not ze type of fool who keeps chocolate bars zere!"

"You said you give me candy if I go to stupid meeting!" Akira cried, looking over at Warren and flicked his tongue out several times, attempting to catch the winged man's scent.

"I said _after_ ze meeting, _Schlange_! Stay still!"

"_Damare_!"

Warren chuckled as they came up a little closer to Cadence. "Did he just tell you to shut up, Kurt?"

"_Ja_, und not ze polite vay either!" Kurt heaved the child all the way over his shoulder, so that Akira's entire top half was hanging over his back and he was only holding Akira's legs. "You don't use zat lang'vage with us, _Schlange_! If you vant to tell Jeremy and Alyssa to _damare_, fine, but you respect your teachers!"

Akira flailed his arms, grinning and clearly enjoying the ride. "I don't even go to your class, Kurt-_danna_!"

"No matter!"

Warren reached over and ruffled Akira's hair. "Hey, how's it going?"

His face immediately lit up, and his tongue slithered out several more times, along with a prominent hissing noise. "_Tenshi-sama_!" He twisted around and tried to face Kurt. "_Danna_, I want to ride with _Tenshi-sama_!"

"On ze vay back!"

By the time the three of them caught up to Cadence, she was waiting by the doors of the auditorium, leaning against the doorframe with her crutches. She shot them a bored look and cocked her head toward the inside. "How long are you slowpokes gonna keep me waiting? I bet Stormy's already getting started."

Kurt just shook his head, walking inside. Akira flicked his tongue happily at her as Kurt carried him in.

Warren watched as Cadence basically tortured herself trying to find a way that the door wouldn't smack her down when she tried to pull it open. He had to smile a little, but she was so stubborn. He swore it was going to be the death of her one day, he already knew that much.

"Cadence, please," he commented, placing a hand on her shoulder and gripping the door handle. "Allow me." He pulled the door open and placed a gentle hand on the small of her back to guide her through. (Well, he had to make use of those ridiculously awkward cotillion lessons somehow...)

She gave him a glance before swinging herself forward. "I could have done it myself..."

_You do know denial isn't just a river in Egypt, right, Cadence?_ he chuckled to himself. He didn't dare say it out loud; she was irritable enough as it was.

"I don't need people fussing over me like I'm some kind of..." She cut herself off with a scream, and because of his hand on her back Warren felt her falling forward.

He rushed in to catch her, grabbing beneath her arms and interlocking their elbows. Her crutches clattered to the floor, but luckily he'd managed to catch her before her injured leg could be bent or twisted or anything of that nature. Her other knee was resting on the floor though, and both of her hands had flown up to wildly grasp at his.

He heard her breathing hard, and she leaned herself back against his chest. Her fingers were shaking in his, and most of her hair had fallen forward, probably into her face. "Stupid... step... down..." she gasped.

"C-Cadence," he stammered, pulling her back to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Kurt!" she barked, instead of answering him. "Come get my crutches so Warren doesn't have to _carry_ me to the stage!"

She was speaking to everyone too? ... Well... that was something he definitely hadn't seen happening. "Cadence?"

Kurt immediately rushed over and gathered up her crutches, helping her get back on them. "Zere ve go. Are you _gut, Dämonin_?"

"I'm great, direct your gratitude to Flyboy over here." She adjusted herself, then looked very seriously up at her blue friend. "Kurt, listen to me very carefully. Where. Is. Akira?"

Kurt's golden eyes widened to the size of hubcaps, as he seemed to realize the snakelike mutant was no longer with him. "_Ach der lieber_, ze boy tricked me again!" With that he was off running.

Once he was gone, Cadence looked over at Warren, who was now beside her. Her lips slowly curled into a genuine, soft smile. He'd never seen that kind of smile from her, and he decided that he liked the way it looked on her. "Thanks for that, Warren."

She proceeded to give him a friendly (albeit rough) smack on the shoulder and disappear off onto the stage.

Warren shook his head after her, but he was smiling thanks to her smile. Her stubbornness might be the death of _her_, but _she_ would be the death of _him_ long before that.

* * *

><p>"I thank you all for coming," Ororo called out over the crowd once she had been handed the microphone by Cadence. "I understand many of you have other duties, and I'm grateful because in all truth, this is a grave matter. The outcome of this situation... means the future of our institution." She waved to the raven-haired woman standing near the curtains. "Cadence, would you mind joining me?"<p>

Cadence glanced out into the crowd, and Warren noticed her eyes flicker wide for a second before she stiffly walked on her crutches over to stand next to the other woman. She leaned over and said into the microphone, "Hey, everybody." Warren couldn't believe he was actually admitting this, but it seemed that Cadence was downright _nervous_. That was certainly unusual.

Ororo nodded to her, and then faced her audience again. "My fellow mutants, you all know Cadence James. Now, I know some of you are less than fond of her-"

"Put a cast on her other leg so she can't kick people!" somebody yelled from the crowd. This was followed by several whoops and murmurs of agreement, while Kurt rolled his eyes, trying to keep Akira quiet. Warren, on the other hand, tried not to fire a comment back at all the negative people.

On the stage, meanwhile, it seemed Cadence's frozen air had melted a bit, as her hair was fraying out on both sides as if she'd just stuck her finger in an electrical socket. "My only power isn't super-bitchiness!" she retorted, not even needing a microphone to project her voice. "I can attack you if all the bones in my body were broken, so shut the hell up! Have you ever smacked yourself in the face and not been able to stop because a vocal telepath decided to screw with you?"

Several people laughed and several made noises of discontent, while Warren just did a mental facepalm. She had to, she just _had_ to.

"Cadence, enough! That is _enough_!" Ororo snapped. Her eyes glowed white, and a heavy rain began to pound relentlessly on the windows, effectively silencing the crowd. She gave a warning glare to Cadence, who immediately took a few caution steps - well, swings - away from her, then returned her attention to the others. "Alright, everyone. If I tell you that our enemy, Erik Lennsherr AKA _Magneto_..." She paused as virtually the entire room shuddered at the name. "... If I told you he was back, would that be enough for you all to just _tolerate_ each other for a few minutes so we can talk?"

Everyone fell completely silent, and not a sound could be heard.

"Good. Now that I've got your attention..." She walked over to Cadence and held the mic out. "Would you mind telling us exactly how you discovered this?"

Cadence was as brief as she possibly could be. "Got into a catfight with Mystique - I guess you guys were wondering who did this to me. She... turned into..." Here she paused. "... Somebody I couldn't fight... and told me if I was this weak I'd never survive against her boss now that he was..." Her eyes shifted downward. "Cured of being cured."

Ororo took the microphone back. "Which means that the Cure created by Worthington Industries is not permanent." (Warren felt himself blush in spite of it all, he knew everyone would associate _that_ with him.) Anyone who has taken it and remained here - and I know there are a few of you - should see Dr. McCoy _immediately_ after this. And now, onto my main announcement-"

Out of nowhere, Logan stomped onto the stage and took the microphone out of Ororo's hand. "Alright, enough with all this politeness and official crap, Ororo!" He faced the crowd. "The X-Men need more members. Anybody who thinks their powers are developed enough to fight this bastard, go see Bobby over there and get a damn application!" He pointed over to the aforementioned Iceman, who was standing quite awkwardly near the doorway holding a sheaf of papers.

Logan dropped the microphone back into Ororo's hand. "Meeting adjourned."

Ororo's eyes flashed dangerously. "Logan... _everyone_ is going to think they're good enough! Only about a quarter of them are suitable for this kind of combat!"

"Solution." Cadence swung herself over and leaned down so that her lips were right by the microphone. "Hey, guys! Before you fill out a paper, did I mention I'm rejoining? Hmm?"

More than half of the people forming the line to Bobby broke off and just headed out the door.

Cadence looked up at Ororo and began to drag herself down the steps leading off the stage. "Instant problem solver, just add one pouch of Cadence James, pour in some water, and stir the resulting mixture like you're trying to pulverize it into oblivion."

Warren glanced back for a second to make sure that she didn't need any help, then took an application from Bobby and shuffled to the side to join Akira and Kurt, who was also holding an application. "Thank you, Bobby." He looked over at Kurt. "You're signing up? Cadence told me you were a pacifist."

Kurt shook his head. "Zis is not for me, _Engel_."

Cadence came over on her crutches and used her shoulder to bump Warren's arm, snickering when he almost dropped his paper. "Alright, let's go watch a movie or something. All this application stuff isn't going to be done till God knows when and I've already got mine done, we might as well relax and-"

Warren stepped forward and Akira jumped off of Kurt, grabbing the German's application. "_I'm_ applying to the team, Cadence," Warren told her.

At the same time, Akira jumped up and shrieked, "Cady-_oba-chan_, I want to be X-Man!"

Cadence gave her charge and her peer the same blank look, then her expression hardened. "Okay. Okay. You are each going to tell me, one at a time, what it is you just said. And I sure as hell better not hear what I _think_ I heard."

Warren decided to go first. "I said, _I'm_ applying to join the X-Men, Cadence."

Akira grinned up at her. "I want to be X-Man!"

Her chest heaved with several breaths as her eyes went back and forth to and from each of them. If it wasn't Warren's imagination, tears were already forming in her eyes. "I told you both _no_, for the same exact reason _and_ for individual reasons. Why can't you just understand?"

She began to swing herself toward the door, but Kurt caught her by the shoulder and stepped up to her. "Cady, _meine schön Dämon_, you have to try and see things-"

"No!" She tore herself away and didn't face any of them. "What, were Jean and Scott and Professor not enough? Does my heart need to be torn into even more pieces now?"

Warren tried to go after her too, though Kurt stopped him from touching her as the devout man had already made the mistake of doing. "Cadence, we're not-"

"I said no, Warren!" Her entire body was shaking by now. "I'm not going to lose anyone else who's precious to me because of the X-Men _or_ Magneto. _No means no_. Just accept that!"

Warren gasped as Akira ran into him, wrapping his arms around him just as he'd done before. He watched Cadence leave, as he scooped up the child and held him as close as he possibly could. Akira was crying now too, and Warren could feel tears pricking at the back of his own eyes.

You wouldn't think someone on crutches could walk away that angrily, but just as everything else involving anger, Cadence managed to do it.

* * *

><p><strong>Uh oh! This can't be good. Are they really going to join? Can Akira even join without somebody's permission? *gasp* Is Cadence ever going to stop being a bitch?<strong>

**... Nah, that last one is just NOT likely at all. XD**

**Reviews are love, it was SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME how many I got last time, I'd love to get that many again! Even if it's just 5 words or something - if you read, please review! (PS, I love you guys telling me what you liked best and stuff. So y'all who do that, keep on doing cuz it's AWESOME.)**

**Thanks guys! ^^**


	15. Chapter 15

**Wheeeee! I love this story. It is so fun-ness for me to be writing! And of course I lurve all of you. :D**

**OK well, in this chapter we are actually introduced to Gigi Labelle, who Cadence mentioned... I think it was two chapters ago? Number 13? She said something about the fact that Kurt's German class was smaller than Gigi's French class. Not that KURT minds that one bit, kukuku.**

**... Plotting? Who's plotting?**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren sighed as he stepped into the living room with Akira in his arms, serving basically as dead weight. He'd been walking around for an hour, around the halls, trying to get the child to sleep. He had come to Warren at eight, complaining that he couldn't sleep, he couldn't find Kurt, and Cadence had kept telepathically placing him outside her room when he tried to talk to her. Finally the kid was asleep...<p>

On the couch he saw Kurt sitting there, but he was holding Gigi Labelle, the French teacher, who was either sleeping or seeking comfort. One of her legs was coiled around Kurt's, and their arms were encircled around each other. Kurt immediately sensed the younger mutants' presence and looked up at them. His gold eyes were all too visible in the darkness, and he gestured to Warren with his head. "_Kommen hier_," he said softly. His voice was so quiet, he could only be heard because of the stark silence of the room.

Warren hesitantly walked forward and lowered himself to sit beside them on Kurt's side, hiking Akira up in his arms. "Evening."

Kurt shook his head. "_Nein, Engel_. Zis is night, ze time vhen every trace of light vanishes, vhen every'sing goes black and all is lost."

Warren looked down at auburn-haired Gigi, who was undoubtedly asleep, but there were thin, light mascara trails down her face. "I've never heard you be so dark, but I guess with _Mademoiselle_ Labelle here, you've got an excuse."

"Oh..." Kurt looked down at the woman in his arms, and his hand absentmindedly ran up and down her back a few times. "_Meine armer Tastatur_. My poor Giselle. She vas too upset to go to sleep."

"What's the matter with her? Is she alright?"

"Ah..." Kurt leaned down and brushed his lips just against the top of Gigi's head before speaking. "She took ze Cure, earlier vhen it had come out... but it didn't vork on her. She vent to see Dr. McCoy... he gave her ze treatment for any kind of vithdrawal, but she says he told her he vasn't sure how it vould affect her. If ze Cure didn't change her ze first time, vhat vill ze medicine for vithdrawal do?"

Warren brought Akira down from his shoulder, placing the child in his lap, as a frown settled onto his features. "She must be very scared."

"_Ja_... und I'm afraid I am less zan helpful at ze comforting. I did try, but it vas hard for her to stop crying. I am scared for her, too."

"Poor thing." Warren didn't dare reach over and touch her, because he sensed that whatever Kurt shared with this woman, it was something not to be interrupted or intruded upon. "I certainly hope the treatment isn't going to hurt her."

"_Ja_... I hope so too." Kurt's three-fingered hand wandered away from Gigi's back and came to rest on her arm. In the dark, Warren could see his aureate eyes sparkle with unshed tears. "_Meine Tastatur, meine liebling_. She doesn't deserve zis."

Warren felt his own eyes filling with water, and instead of using his hands, he buried his face in Akira's hair for a moment. Then he looked up and, still resting his cheek against the child's locks, decided to speak. "I wish my father had never even invented that... that _stupid_ Cure."

Kurt blew out a breath, about an inch away from a bitter chuckle. "Believe me, _Engel_, a lot of us vish zat. I think Cady, she just vishes she could take back ever..." He shook his head, closing his eyes.

Warren felt his eyes widen as he straightened himself up. "She... _She_ took the Cure? But... sh-she still has her powers! And she doesn't seem like the kind of person..."

"_Nein_, she didn't. She considered it though." Kurt's other hand began to run through Gigi's autumn hair. "She... has alvays vanted to know vhat it vould be like to not have ze telepathy, ze telekinesis. She told me she vas going to get it... left... came back an hour later, crying, und told me zat she could not do it. She'd just been sitting at ze coffee shop, she told me, just... thinking."

Warren shook his head. She had reacted basically the same way he had. She thought she wanted it, but then when she went to really do it... she wasn't so sure that it was what she wanted. So she didn't go through with it. That was the same thing he had done... well, except that _she_ hadn't jumped out a window and did a hundred-foot free fall before flying away. "I... I have to talk to her, Kurt. Is she in her room?"

"_Ja_, but good luck. If _you_ had to help _Schlange_ to sleep, she's in a _very_ bad mood. Try not to get hit vith a candle. She von't put it out before she throws it at you."

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a good night."

"_Ja_... I hope ve all do, _Engel_."

* * *

><p>After Warren had deposited Akira into his bed, he crept down the halls to Cadence's room. It was nine-thirty by this point, but he didn't really mind. He was somewhat used to it; sometimes he was up until midnight or later trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in.<p>

He stopped outside her door, because he heard guitar music coming from her room, and it didn't sound like a CD either. He pressed his ear against the door, and he could hear her singing.

"_Sparkling angel, I believe_

_You were my savior in my time of need_

_Blinded by faith, I couldn't hear_

_All the whispers, the warnings so clear_

_I see the angels_

_I'll lead them to your door_

_There's no escape now_

_No mercy no more_

_No remorse 'cause I still remember_

_The smile when you tore me apart_

_You took my heart_

_Deceived me right from the start_

_You showed me dreams_

_I wish they'd turn into real_

_You broke a promise_

_And made me realize_

_It was all just a lie!..._

_Sparkling angel, couldn't see_

_You dark intentions, your feelings for me_..."

He carefully drew away from the door and pressed his back lightly against the wall, trying to analyze what this meant. She was playing her guitar, which she said she hadn't done in a while - he could theorize that "a while" meant since Jean had died... the first time, since Kurt had told him Jean had died and then come back as Phoenix. He didn't understand that much, but apparently some things weren't as impossible as they sounded.

Was she singing this just because she liked the song and didn't know what else to play? Or was she singing this about _him_, how she had tried to trust him and then he wanted to be a part of the X-Men? He supposed it made sense, if he thought the way she did. She thought he was someone she could start to trust, and she explicitly _warned_ him not to join the X-Men. And so then what did he do? Turned around and betrayed her advice by doing it anyway. And then there was Akira wanting to sign up as well, when his powers probably weren't even good enough and he was way too immature.

He took a breath and listened again, as her playing was swelling to a solo. He placed his hand on the doorknob and pulled it open. "Good evening, Cadence."

She'd been in the middle of "_This world may have failed you, it doesn't give you reason why..._" and she had her back to him. She stopped strumming immediately and he could see her tense up. "Well, it almost was."

* * *

><p><strong>German Stuffs:<strong>

**Kommen hier = Come here**

**Meine armer Tastatur = My poor Keyboard (Probably the weirdest phrase ever uttered in German, but "Keyboard" is Gigi's codename because she's a technopath XD ... I love my job...)**

**meine liebling = my darling/my love**

**OK. What did y'all think of Gigi so far? She's not really going to be TOO major, as most of the story is focused on Warren and Cadence, but I did want to sneak a bit of romance in for Kurt. He needs the love, oh yes.**

**Also, I've come up with a pairing name for Warren and Cadence. :D They shall be called... WARRENCE.**

**Warren: ... WHY? Seriously, WHY? The story would have gone JUST FINE if you hadn't given us a couple name. It's not like we're celebrities, like... like Bradgelina!**

**Me: Oh but you ARE. You are famous, now she is famous for LOOOOOVING you.**

**Reviews are welcomed as always, they are also loved and given a good home. ^^**


	16. Chapter 16

**OK sooo... following this chapter, some of you may be a bit angry at Cadence, as I had to make her do/say a few not-so-nice things. (But not too mean, like she was when Warren showed her his wings.) But I hope it makes you all understand better the main reason why Cadence doesn't want Warren to join the X-Men (there's more than one reason? Gasp!)... AND reassure you that Akira probably won't be getting anywhere near the battle scene for a few years.**

**I can tell you some drama/action is coming up, but I'm not quite sure when it's going to be. Next few chapters maybe? Also... those of you who are familiar with the comics as well? Yeah. Keep in mind the whole plot of his appearances in it. That's all I'm revealing as to future drama! If you can figure it out, good for you. But don't tell anybody! *shhhhhh***

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p><em>Ouch.<em> Warren winced. That was a bit on the harsh side, although it _was_ Cadence he was dealing with here. Usually those kinds of biting comments were underlined with the subtext that she was only fooling with you, but at the moment she was _really_ angry at him.

He closed the door behind him, taking a few more steps into the lair of the Demon. "Cadence... can we... talk? That's all I want, is to talk."

He dodged a metal candle-holder shaped like a cross, and it hit the wall instead. He blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, alright. In all fairness, I guess I deserved that-"

He wasn't ready, and sustained a hit to the face with a plastic flowerpot. He scrambled to catch it, and looked down at it with a quirked eyebrow. "Well. I don't think I deserved _that_."

"Oh, you did so."

"You hit me with a flowerpot!"

"Then I guess you shouldn't have been standing there, hmm?"

"You would have hit me wherever I was standing - your aim is better than a special forces sniper." He set the pot down, and walked over to the bed so that he was just a few inches behind her. "You and I need to talk about..."

"About _what_, Warren?" She sat the guitar straight up on her lap, then carefully leaned it against the nightstand. "There _is_ nothing to talk about. I asked you in what I thought was a very genteel manner to do one thing. You gave me a knife to the back by doing the exact opposite. Check back there, hmm? My back must look like a Braille map by now."

"I didn't want to hurt you by doing this, Cadence. But you... you have to understand, I..." He walked over to the other side of the bed where he could see her face. In the candlelight, he could see the tear tracks staining her cheeks. "I feel responsible for so much of this. If my... If my father didn't develop that Cure..."

"It wouldn't have mattered who invented what or who decided to be a jackass, Warren." She turned her face away from him, her long hair sweeping in front of her like a curtain. "Someone always starts something. Magneto would have decided to be a bastard and attack us anyway. It would have only been a matter of time."

"But... you don't get it, Cadence." He reached over and brushed her hair back over her shoulder so he could see her again. Fresh tears were rolling down her face. "If they hadn't fought with the Cure-"

"No, Warren! No, _you're_ the one who doesn't get it!" She fell forward, catching her face in her hands. "You just _don't get it_!" She withdrew her hands and looked up at him with an expression that he couldn't name. It was something like hurt, remorse, and anger all mixed up in her eyes. "I used to be happy, Warren. What I was like when I got here, and when I found Akira..." She sniffled, reaching over and grabbing him by the wrist with both hands. "I was still a pushy, aggressive bitch but... but I was _happy_."

Warren wrenched his wrist free and put his hand over one of hers, resting it on his leg. "You were in a shell, that's why you were happy. Kurt told me. That's why, wasn't it? Back then you didn't want to believe that anyone could like you. That's why - you would try and talk to people, then you would take pleasure in beating on them when they didn't instantly like you." His grip tightened just a little. "Some things take time, you know? _You_ don't like people all at once either, so why expect other people to like _you_ from the get-go?"

She shook her head. "... I like you, don't I?"

His eyes widened, and he slid closer to her, lightly putting his arm around her shoulders. "Well, you never actually _told_ me. I thought you just were starting to trust me a bit."

He felt her sigh, and she fell against him, leaning in to his touch and resting her head on his shoulder. "Warren, it... the X-Men... just being there changes you. Just all the stuff... it would _ruin_ you, Warren. It would _destroy_ you, I know it. Look at what it did to me, and look at what a bitch I am. It wasn't _all_ because of the X-Men, but..." She shook her head against his shoulder. "All... All it brings is pain, Warren. And when you have that much pain weighing on you, it... breaks you. I was always a bitch, but you... you're nice, sweet, everything I'm not. It'll be worse for you, _so much worse_."

He rubbed her back and her arm carefully, reaching over with his other hand and taking her hand. "I promised you, didn't I, Cadence? I promised you I wouldn't change. If you like the way I am now... if the way I am makes you and Kurt and Akira and everyone else happy... then I'll stay this way. I'm not going to change. I've gone through enough of that drama already."

He felt dampness against his shoulder and her body shuddered against his with a sob. "You don't have a _choice_, Warren. It changes you, whether you want it to or not. It's not a matter of you _letting_ the change take place."

"Then I'll... do my best not to change." He let go of her hand and tipped her face up so he could see her eyes. "Will you take my word for that? That I'll try?" He leaned down and pressed his forehead just lightly against hers. He was actually sort of amazed that she was letting him get this close. "I have to do this, Cadence. Don't you understand? It may have only been a matter of time, but the fact is that what started it this time was something _my father_ did. And it was because of _me_ that he did it, because he wanted me to be normal."

She scoffed. "I wish I could tell him that being normal is overrated. We're all different, you know? Some of us are just... different in a different way." She drew away a little, though she was still only about three inches from his face. In the darkness, he couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a red tint on her cheeks. "I-I mean... I'm probably not making much sense. God, I'm stupid..."

"And stop saying that. You're not stupid." His hand dropped down and took hers again. "And you're right. Being normal... I mean, I wish I knew what it felt like sometimes, but... it's because of my wings that I am who I am."

"Oh, I have to thank God for that." She wrapped her hand around his just as lightly as he was, and she sighed. "I... y-you're right, Warren. I'm just being controlling again, I'm sorry... it's not my choice. It's yours." She let out another breath as she collapsed on his shoulder again. "But... you're not _really_ going let Akira join, are you? Because I will make _you_ into a feather pillow before that happens."

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him."

Everything was quiet for a moment, and Warren almost thought she wasn't going to say anything else. He thought she'd let him stay here, holding her, until she calmed down, without saying another word. He didn't think either of them needed to; they were finally starting to understand each other without speaking.

"... Thanks, Warren."

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><p><strong>KYAAAA! ~ Super cute at some points, right? And then totally sad at some other parts.<strong>

**Stay tuned, my wonderful readers... many twists, turns, and surprises lie on the road ahead... also, more Kurt/Gigi goodness... yeeeees... give in to ze German/French romance!**

**Warren: *is talking to Kurt* Just because she learned it in France, that doesn't make it romantic! That's disgusting!**

**Cadence: Do I even want to KNOW what you two IDIOT MEN are talking about?**

**Kurt: Vhat? Giselle vas teaching me how to do the French kiss!**

**Cadence: *eye twitch* Alright, I was liking her for a while there but... now she's back on my kill list. *walks out of the room***

**Uh oh, she might find the sharp objects and Michael Myers who I tied up in the closet... gotta go guys, before she finds a way to untie him and unleash him back on Haddonfield!**

**Reviews are love love LOOOOVE and motivate me to write! Thanks for reading! ^^**


	17. Chapter 17

**WHOO. It feels like it's been a while. No Cadence in this chapter, but it's quite chock full of drama, I assure you.**

**I meant to sneak Warren talking to Akira about the X-Men into this chapter, but it went in a bit of a different direction than I intended. Plus, this way makes for a good cliffhanger.**

**... What? What cliffhanger? I wasn't supposed to tell you that there was one... whoops.**

**OH WELL. I hope you enjoy it even though I'm an evil cliffhanger-writing person! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"<em>Ferme ta foutre gueule, Kurt<em>!"

Warren quickly stepped aside as a furious, disheveled Gigi stormed out of Kurt's room, past him. He stared after her in disbelief, as he couldn't ever remember her getting mad - at least not _this_ mad. This was akin to, like... a _Cadence_ reaction to something. The lights flickered, in wake of her technopathic abilities.

"_Sortir de ma vue_!" she yelled over her shoulder, before running off down the hall.

Kurt stepped out of the room next, wide-eyed and looking guilty. "_Ach_..."

Warren shook his head, looking after where Gigi had gone. "Kurt... I took five years of French, and... _neither_ of those sentences was a compliment."

"I know, I know." Kurt ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, it is all my fault zat she is so upset."

"What happened?" Warren asked, staring up at the lights that were still fluttering from Gigi's leftover rage. "She looked like Cadence in the morning..."

"_Ach_, don't let _Dämonin_ hear you say zat. She vill hit you vith vhatever object she can reach." Kurt blew out a breath and shook his head. "I told you, _ja_, zat I vas no good vith ze comforting. Now she blames me for just _trying_."

Warren blinked a few times. "Kurt, don't take this the wrong way... but that sounds like something _Cadence_ would do to _me_."

The other man chuckled. "Ah vell... zey are somevhat similar at times. Giselle, her fists are just softer, und she knows a whole other language to insult you vith. Cady, she mostly only knows a few phrases in German und Japanese. She can't say much to curse you out... but Giselle, _oh_, can she trash talk."

Warren shook his head, quirking an eyebrow. "And I thought she was harmless."

"Oh _ja_, harmless... until you fail at ze comforting. At least I vas trying, zat's more zan I can say for zat... zat... _Pierre Vénard_ she dated two years ago! Now _zere_ vas a French fry, vith zat dyed hair... he looked like he fell asleep in ketchup! Remy Labeau looks like a saint next to zat piece of..." He closed his mouth, quickly swallowed whatever he'd been about to say, and replaced it with a nicer-sounding alternative. "... Overcooked French toast."

Warren resisted a smile at the comment, as he'd never heard Kurt talk about anyone with such obvious disgust. The blue mutant must _really_ resent this Pierre person, he must have done something awful to Gigi. He waved to Kurt, in the other direction towards the stairs. "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else? Everyone's going to hear us if we stand here and talk about it in the hallway."

"Ah, you're right of course." Kurt began to walk down the hallway, tying the belt of his jacket across his abdomen and sighing again. "Perhaps we ought to head down and see vhat's going on in ze lounge."

"That sounds like a good idea." Warren fell into step beside him, and looked over after shoving his hands in his pockets. "So, um... have you seen Akira today? I swear he's been dodging me for the past two days."

"Oh, _Schlange_." Kurt shook his head, but he was smiling. "He has been following _Vielfraß_ around, trying to convince him zat he vould be an asset to ze X-Men."

"Ah." Warren rubbed the back of his neck. "I sort of promised Cadence I would try to talk him out of that..."

"Don't bother. _Vielfraß_ und _Sturm_ have most say over who is accepted. Zey're not going to put an eight-year-old in zat kind of danger."

"Yes, but I told Cadence I'd talk to him, and I'm a man of my word."

They were heading down the staircase now. "Speaking of zat. How did it go vith her anyvay? Vhat, she hit you somevhere zat's not exposed? She's getting sneaky."

"No, no, she... wasn't too violent. Though I did get a candle-holder thrown at me and a flowerpot to the face. I'm lucky it was only plastic and didn't leave a bruise or anything." Warren exhaled as he followed Kurt into the lounge. "But no, it went... alright, I guess is the most fitting word." He shook his head, sitting down next to his friend on the sofa. "Kurt, really... I wonder how much she's carrying around on her shoulders."

Kurt shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm surprised ve don't hear a thud on ze carpet vhen she stands up. I svear she's got an invisible giant ball und chain on her back."

Warren nodded. "Hopefully we can try and get her to let go of some of it. So." He folded his hands in his lap, leaning back just a little. "What happened with Gigi? Why was she so upset?"

Kurt shook his head. "Oh, my poor Giselle. Ve vere just sitting on ze bed... she came to see me because she did not feel vell. She alvays comes to me vhen she is sick. She vas just lying on my lap, not talking, just... making noises. I knew she vas so uncomfortable, but I couldn't think of any'sing I could do to help her. I tried to feel for a fever, but she had none. Und zen, out of just novhere, she tumbled off ze bed und ran to ze bathroom."

Warren tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, leaning his cheek on his hand and blinking. "You followed her, I trust?"

"_Ja_, und now she is mad at me for not holding her hair back vhile she threw up, even though it didn't get anything on it. I vas just... shocked. I have never seen her so sick, I couldn't react." Kurt let his head fall forward, pressing his hand against his temple. "I don't know vhat to do, _Engel_. She's... you are right, she has been like Cady lately! She just jumps from one mood to ano'zer, und so emotional!" He sighed, raising his head up a little. "Vhen she first vent to Dr. McCoy, after that there vas just ze sadness, ze frustration. Now she is mad all ze time."

"The medicine's probably affecting her," Warren suggested, shrugging slightly and folding one leg on top of the other. "Dr. McCoy said he wasn't sure if it was going to do anything or not, right? It was supposed to reverse the effects of the Cure... give a mutant their powers back, repair every chromosome in the body to the way they used to be, before the Cure stripped them of the mutant gene. If the medicine is supposed to build that gene back up, it's trying to do that to Gigi's system where there isn't anything defective going on, where every strand of DNA isn't missing anything. It's basically messing with her DNA. Who knows what it's doing to her chromosomes?"

Kurt was just staring straight at him, a very blank look in his gold eyes. Warren suddenly noticed how tired he looked, how it seemed like he was struggling just to listen and talk back. His upper lip drew back slightly, and he bit down a little on the bottom. "_Mein Gott, Engel_..."

Warren chuckled, a light flush coming to his cheeks. "Sorry. I guess I spent a little too much time with my dad's scientists as a kid... and the advanced biology class I took in college probably just added to it."

Kurt smiled a little, then nodded almost imperceptibly. "No, no... you're probably right... zat's probably vhat's going on. I have to do ze best I can to keep her comfortable, until ze symptoms pass. Maybe she should just stop taking ze medicine. Zat might help, right?"

"Well... unless Dr. McCoy thinks so, I wouldn't. Going off medicine can have side effects too. She might get worse if she stops taking it."

"Right, right..."

All of a sudden, Gigi walked into the room, but she was being led by Akira, who was holding her hand. She was just looking around, somewhat moving her head, but mostly her eyes darting around. She looked... curious. Like she'd never been in the room before.

Akira took a few steps toward Kurt, and pulled Gigi along with him. She followed easily, but both men noticed that she looked unusually pale. "Where am I...?" she mumbled, looking around the room but not looking at either Warren or her boyfriend.

Akira looked at Kurt and held out Gigi's hand almost as an offering. "Gigi_ Sensei_, she confused, she very confused. She talking to Bobby and he mad 'cause she ask him lot of questions."

Gigi looked down at Akira and blinked. "Where am I?" she repeated.

Warren looked from the blonde over to his friend. "Kurt... what's she talking about? She acts like she doesn't know her way around."

"Oh, she usually stays in vone ving, in her room and ze French classroom." Kurt stood up and took Gigi's hand from Akira, clasping it. He looked at her and smiled, getting closer. "_Meine liebe_, I'm so glad you came to me. I am so sorry for not-"

He stopped there, because she had just about jumped back as he'd tried to kiss her. "_Liebling_, vhat is ze matter?"

Gigi shook her head, and looked at him, but her eyes weren't really focusing on him. It was more like she was looking _through_ him. "Who are you?"

* * *

><p><strong>French Translations<strong>

**Ferme ta foutre gueule = Shut your fucking mouth (OOOOOOOOOOHHHH... she's mad, she hardly ever swears and she's almost NEVER mean to Kurt...)**

**Sortir de ma vue = Get out of my sight (again I say OOOOOOOOOOHHH...)**

**German Translations**

**Mein Gott = My God (LOL Kurt XD ...)**

**meine liebe = my love**

**liebling = darling/sweetheart/honey (I honestly don't know which translation Kurt would use... |D I'm horrible...)**

**CLIFFIE.**

**What's wrong with Gigi? Is it the medicine? Or is she getting back at Kurt for not comforting her? He did try, after all. But she's been different lately, it could happen. WHAT IS GOING ON?**

**W-Wait a second... I should be writing more. I shouldn't be asking y'all questions you have no idea of the answers to. SORRY.**

***goes to write more and be a good little fanfic slave***

**Reviews make me OH SO HAPPY and make me want to write more. I've got low morale for this story lately, I used to have like 5 or more people reviewing each chapter. Now I have 2. Granted, they are very awesome people and my lovely Echo Dancer is my favorite reviewer for this story because of her creepy cool analyzing-ness and stating the parts she liked and predictions and all, and Kilik is scary awesome with the reviewing-multiple-of-my-stories-and-speaking-about-relevant-things-and-predicting-as-well... but where did everyone go? Not liking where I'm going or something?**

**Eh. You're probably just lazy... JUST LIKE ME. :D WAHAHA. But I'd appreciate it if you just drop a line, doesn't even have to be a complete sentence... though those ARE my favorite kind of reviews.**

**Thanks for reading everything guys! Much loves! ^^**


	18. Chapter 18

**AHAHAHAHA. I'm so happy, my reviewers are coming again! XD Sorry I got a bit crazy, I know it's summer, I'm not one to talk since I'm doing something with my boyfriend tomorrow, not to mention I've seen him more since summer started than I have during the entirety of the school year. (Who knew being a preschool teacher-in-training was so demanding...?) BUT. Thanks to that, I got sooooo inspired that I decided to give you the gift of another chapter much much sooner!**

**No Cadence again in this chapter, but she will be next chapter. *excited* X-Men swearing-in, can't wait! Well, uh... not so much swearing in as... reminding everyone of powers and all. She's got some funny comments planned... most of them directed at Logan and Warren... but hey, Logan asks for it and Warren... well, she just can't bite her tongue sometimes.**

**And THEN... the really super awesome-tastic action shall begin, with the battle-ish stuff between Magneto and his army and Xavier's and all. BUT I'M NOT TELLING.**

**There will, however, be a short preview of upcoming chapters (not next chapter though) after the main story. So stay tuned!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren watched Kurt pace in a very tense manner from one end of the bed to the other as Hank attempted to assess Gigi. The Catholic's tail was whipping back and forth, rather stiffly, which was a sign that he was worried. He was also muttering to himself in German, and Warren didn't understand most of what he was saying. About the only thing he could translate of it was "<em>Mein Gott<em>", everything else was a mystery - but the way his voice sounded, none of it was really positive.

"Kurt." Warren caught the mutant as he got closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've got to calm down. Wearing a hole in the floor isn't going to help anything."

"But vhat if some'sing is seriously wrong vith her? _Engel_, she doesn't know who I am!" He pressed a hand to his face, then let out a shuddering sob. "I can't... I can't lose her. _Ich liebe sie so sehr_..."

"I know, Kurt, I know you love her. But you've got to at least stop pacing like this. Look - she's looking at you. If she knows we're nervous, she's going to get scared." He took him by the hand and led him to a chair. "Why don't you sit down for a minute? Try to take deep breaths."

No sooner had Kurt taken a seat than Gigi began to yell. "No! No, I don't want you to take it from me! Leave me alone!"

Immediately Kurt got up and rushed over. "Hank, vhat is going on? Vhat is she talking about?"

Hank sighed. "I have to draw some blood and perform a spinal tap, and she finds it all very unnecessary."

"A spinal tap?" Kurt shook his head slightly, looking down at Gigi, who was looking right back at him. This time she was meeting his eyes. "Forgive me for questioning you, Doctor, but isn't zat a rather... _painful_ procedure? Do you _have_ to do it?"

Hank gave the other blue mutant a hard look. "Loss of memory that is this dramatic, that she doesn't remember you _or_ where she is, that can be the first indicator of an infection in her brain. I should have done it sooner, it could have been there for weeks before now. If that's what this is... Kurt, it has the potential to kill her. I must perform the spinal tap."

"But she... she just started... acting like zis... I..." Kurt nodded, but Warren did see (as he'd come over too) that tears were visible in his gold eyes. "Yes, I... I understand. I vill try to keep her calm, let me try und..." He got down on his knees, producing his rosary from his jacket pocket. "Giselle. Can you see me?"

She nodded, but she wasn't looking at his eyes. She was just looked all over his body, at his face and hands and any skin that was exposed. "I still don't know who you are." She reached out and brushed one finger against a symbol by his eye, her own eyes wide and focusing. "What are all these scars from?"

"From my sinful life, _liebling_. You do not remember all zat I have told you... und I have told you so, so much." He fingered the rosary before reaching up with that hand and taking one of Gigi's hands, cradling the beads between both their palms as he wrapped his fingers around hers. "You need to let Dr. McCoy take your blood and do ze spinal test. I know it's all going to hurt, but I'll be right here. I know you don't remember me, but I love you very much, und I vouldn't put you through zis pain unless I thought it vould help you."

She was looking at their hands now, and her thumb kept running over a rosary bead and touching against his hand. She nodded slowly, not taking her eyes away from it. "I'm sorry I don't remember you. But I trust you. Will you keep holding my hand?"

"_Natürlich_. _Ich werde alles für dich tun_." He leaned down and just lightly pressed his lips against the side of her forehead, and this time she didn't pull away.

Her grip did tighten on his hand. "What does that mean?"

"It means 'I vill do any'sing for you'." Kurt gave her a smile, and Warren saw that tears were coming down his cheeks; not very fast, probably just the result of his trying to hold them back. "I mean it. Follow you to ze ends of ze vorld, vhatever you vant me to do."

Gigi tried to smile back, though it was a bit apprehensive. "Don't... Don't cry. I... must be very lucky to have someone who cares about me so much. I... wish I remembered... I mean, even _one_ thing..."

Kurt glanced up at Hank, and nodded. "Giselle, if you promise you can stay still vhile Dr. McCoy is taking your blood und doing ze spinal tap, I vill tell you about it."

"About what?"

"About us. Any'sing you vant to know."

"I want to know _everything_. I can't believe I even have a boyfriend..." She shot a look at Hank, rolling over and laying her arm down flat. "You can do it now." As he began to tie the torniquet around the upper part of her arm, she quickly turned back to Kurt and blinked a few times, her eyes still wide. "How did we meet?"

"I brought you here. You see, you caused quite a bit of trouble - accidentally put ze power on an entire train station offline, shut zem down for two hours. Professor wanted me to find you..."

Sensing this was his cue to leave, Warren took Akira by the hand. "Come on. I need to talk to you."

As they walked away, Akira sighed heavily. "_Chikusho_, I'm in trouble..."

* * *

><p>"Do we <em>real<em> have to talk?" Akira complained, climbing up into a stool in the kitchen.

"Yes, Akira, we really have to talk." Warren took a place on the other side of the counter, folding his arms on the table.

"_Naze_?"

"Because." Warren pursed his lips, then let out a breath. "Well... you know Cadence doesn't want you joining the X-Men. And I don't either, okay? From what I can tell it's way too dangerous for anyone under, like, sixteen. So..." He shook his head. "Look, I'm not good at this. But the point is, I _need_ you to promise me that you're not going to even finish that application."

"Kurt-_danna_ already help me finish," Akira retorted, tracing circles in the counter top. "It all filled out."

"Well, then you know what I want you to do with it?"

"_Nani_?"

"I want you to tear it up into little pieces, and throw it in the trash."

Akira gave him this nasty look, his eyebrows arching down and his lower lip protruding in an angry pout. "That not fair, _Tenshi-sama_! You and _oba-chan_ get to join!"

"Yes, I know. But we're adults." Oh, there was the headache forming. This was the reason he didn't like being around upset kids; they were frustrating. Otherwise he liked children, but he had to explain this to Akira. "Our powers are better developed, and... I don't think... look. The X-Men, it's just not a place for kids, okay? From what Cadence tells me, it can get really violent on a _good_ day."

Akira stuck his tongue out, and it quivered up and down at a rapid rate, accompanied by a furious hiss and his eyes narrowing. "My powers fine! I am super strong! I can slither like snake and attack enemy from behind!"

"But you're not fast. They'll catch you and... and..." Warren swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat, shaking his head. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Magneto's crew got a hold of Akira in the middle of a battle. It was a result nobody would want.

"And _what_? It not fair! You going and Cady-_oba-chan_ and... and you protect me!"

"That's not... if you get separated..." He sighed. "We don't... fight one huge battle. It's totally isolated, we'll all be going and we won't be able to keep track of who needs help. Cadence and I can't look out for you if we're getting the ever-loving daylights beaten out of us."

"But I _good_!" Akira let his head fall to the table, and let out a loud, blatantly fake wail. "Why nobody think I am?"

Warren pressed his fingers to the side of his temple, taking a deep breath. He had to figure out a way to explain this to Akira in a way that was going to get through to the boy. "Alright. Head up, Akira, now." He stood up and walked into the lounge. "Come in here."

He sat down and waited for Akira to come sit beside him. Then he handed the child the remote for the TV. "See what kinds of cartoons are on. Which one do you like best?"

Akira flipped through the channels like an expert, and finally landed on some obscure channel. It showed a team of what looked like angels fighting against a group of horrid creatures. "This! Called _Angel and Demon_." He pointed to the screen where a female angel was going head on with a male demon. "Kara, she my favorite because she have black hair like Cady-_oba-chan_. I saw this episode though, it's the one where Heather leaves demon side and goes to help angels."

Warren nodded, trying not to pay too much attention that this was another reference to angels. Cadence did it all the time to him, and now Akira was starting in on it too. "Good. And who's the villain in this? The big bad guy?"

"The worst one?" Akira held up a finger, then pointed at the screen when one of the demons on a throne came up. "That is Michael, he the leader of all the demons. He is bad, but at least he only send kid demon Cain to fight kid angel Teagan. Nobody wins in that fight."

"Okay. Great. Now... do you see Magneto, _our_ bad guy, the same way as Michael? That he'll only send children to fight you?"

Akira shrugged, shaking his head as if to say _Well, what else?_ "Of course, it make sense."

"You're wrong though." Warren took the remote and clicked the TV off. Then he pulled Akira into his lap and put his arms around the child. "Magneto is not like the bad guys you see on TV, Akira. He doesn't recruit children because he doesn't care. Do you understand? If you join the X-Men and end up in a battle, it's going to be against a grown-up. And whoever that is, _they_ will win. Just because you're a kid, they're not going to go easy on you. I know you think you're the strongest, but... an adult going up against you... they _will_ kill you."

His arms tightened, and he could feel his eyes dampening. "Nobody wants that. That is the only reason why we don't want you. We're not trying to be mean, and we do think you're strong. But there... there are a lot of people who are stronger. We don't want to lose you."

He could feel Akira's little body against him, shaking and convulsing. He could hear the sobs as Akira held onto him with all the strength he had. "I don't want that. Everybody... all sad when _Sensei_ and Dr. Grey and _Reza no Me_ die. I didn't like it. I don't want that to happen... don't want to make people sad. I am sorry..."

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><p><strong>German Translations<strong>

**Vielfraß = Wolverine (is from last chapter, sorry I forgot it)**

**Sturm = Storm (also from last chapter ^^;)**

**Ich liebe sie so sehr = I love her so much (d'awwwww Kurt)**

**Natürlich = Of course**

**Ich werde alles für dich tun = I will do anything for you (again: d'awwwww Kurt!)**

**Japanese Translations**

**naze? = why?**

**nani? = what?**

**Reza no Me = Laser Eyes (what he called Scott)**

**BUM DA DUM BUM BUM BUM BUMMMM.**

**Logan: Did you, uh... just sing the _State Farmers_ insurance jingle to end the story?**

**Me: STOP. CRITICIZING. MY. DECISIONS. OR. YOU. WILL. DISAPPEAR. FROM. THIS. STORY. CAPISCE?**

**Logan: ... Caposce? *runs away* WHERE THE HELL IS SOMETHING I CAN SCRATCH UP?**

**Me: *yells* You touch my Guitar Hero guitar and I'll kick your ass right outta the next chapter!**

**Anyway... XD. Sorry it's another sort of cliffhanger. I mean, we didn't find out what's wrong with Gigi yet. Is it a brain infection? A side effect? Or some freak traumatic accident nobody knows about?**

**Warren: I know one thing, if it's a brain infection that'll kill her... Kurt's going to kill YOU first.**

**Me: Shut up Flyboy!**

**Warren: OH NOT YOU TOO! *runs off***

**Oh by the way... hehehe... while I was at Wal Mart with my mom, I saw this angel wing charm pendant thing I HAD to have. So I made her buy it for me. Put it on the chain from the necklace I WAS wearing, and I can feel its mojo, dude. Freakiest thing. So now I'm going to wear it whenever I'm writing anything with Warren. Wearing it AS WE SPEAK. It also has a teeny tiny peace charm attached to it, but the wing is the main pendant. Very pretty.**

**ALRIGHT THEN. I promised you guys a sneak peek on upcoming events, and I shall deliver. However, you're not going to get much. I am going to give you a quote from an upcoming chapter. I'm not going to say who is talking, or who they're talking to or about. Here it is:**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Stop it, you bastard! I did what you asked, you asshole! I did what you asked, SO LEAVE HIM ALONE!"<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><em>**... Yeah, interpret that any way you want. |D I BET NOBODY FIGURES IT OUT AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT. I just wanted to give you a little preview thingy so you can expect more DRAAAAMAAAAA~ The good kind. :D**

**Logan: Yeah, she just wanted to tease you people.**

**Me: GET OUTTA HERE, SANDY CLAWS!**

**Logan: Just because I have claws does NOT MAKE ME SANTA!**

**Me: Says you. *smirk* Let's see now, where was my pencil and drawing paper...? *just-shy-of-evil laughter***

**Also, I made a video of Warren and Cadence (I used Ultra Violet from the movie of the same name to represent Cady because THEY BOTH KICK ASS BUT ARE NICE SOMETIMES) with my Sony Vegas. It is very nice if I say so, and I used that song I mentioned in one of the early chapters. (Brownie points to anyone who remembers what it was and/or what band sings it.) I'll try to get it up on YouTube soon and I'll provide a link. :D I shall call it... Warrence: THE MUSICAL.**

***is pelted with random objects and a Polar Pop cup* Okay! So the name needs a little work! Back to the drawing board and Logan in Santa Claus pants...**

**Logan: Which you're not going to do if you don't want to be my scratching post!**

**... Also sorry this author's note was soooooo flippin' long! |D**

**Well, hope you liked, and as always, reviews are DEFINITELY SUPER WELCOME, appreciated, and LOOOOOVED.**

**Bye for now! ^^**


	19. Chapter 19

**BUM. BA DUM BUM. BUM BUM BUMMMMM.**

**Okie dokies! I apologize because you STILL don't know what's the matter with Gigi. But hey, keeps you comin' back, don't it? *cackles evilly* Cliffhanger-plotting? Who's cliffhanger-plotting? Whaaaa? How dare you accuse me of such a thing... *mumbles* And I can leave that off there and suspense MWAHAHAHAHA...**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! Rest of mutant intros next chap!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>When Warren went back to the hospital wing with Akira, once he'd calmed down, he immediately saw the scene and felt both surprised... and a little amused.<p>

Cadence was standing there, _standing_, without her crutches, hands on her hips, glaring at Hank. She was shouting at him as he was trying to calm Gigi down (as was Kurt), as it looked like she'd had the spinal tap done. Hank meanwhile looked totally exasperated and ready to drop-kick Cadence out the door, but his gentler side was preventing him from doing it.

Warren moved closer, gesturing to Akira to be quiet, so he could hear what was going on. Gigi was just crying, no words, and both Kurt and Hank were trying to get her calmed down. Cadence, though, she had some choice words. "I told you back when I first got this, it's just a sprain! See this? I'm walking on it. I want this damn cast off, Dr. McCoy! Or I will sic Spock on you."

"Oh ha, ha," Hank muttered. "_Star Trek_, you just had to go _there_, didn't you? I'm trying to take care of Ms. Labelle, I have to examine her spinal fluid. When I'm done with that I will gladly remove your cast if it is a sprain."

"I'm not using crutches anymore, am I? It's a sprain."

"Very well. I will be back soon to remove it." With that, he left the room and closed the door to the adjacent lab room.

Cadence pouted angrily. "'Soon' translates into 'oh, it'll be at least another hour, dear' in McCoy speak..."

Warren smiled and tapped Cadence on the shoulder. "Hello? Where have you been?"

She turned around, eyes blazing, but then she dropped the angry look and gave a smile in return when she realized it was him. "My Flyboy! I was looking for you."

"Um... why, if I may ask?"

"Claws wants us in the Danger Room at two o'clock _sharp_, and he means _sharp_, so all the new X-Men can give a demonstration of their powers." She slapped him on the shoulder, grinning. "I guess I'll get to see you in flight."

"I thought you didn't like my wings."

"I said I was undecided! This'll help me decide. One step closer and all that."

"Alright, well... do I have to do it in front of everybody?" Now he felt a little apprehensive about this. He wasn't comfortable with anyone he didn't know seeing his wings, much less a room full of strangers. This was not going to be fun.

"Hell yeah. _Everyone_ has to. Don't worry, I'll probably get thrown into a wall by Piotr, it's no big deal." She snapped her fingers, pointing at him. "Oh yeah! And before I forget, Stormy said there's some new guy coming too. And then Claws told me I had to forcibly drag you here because the guy seems like he'd be good as your friend. So... technically, I am under _oath_ to-"

"Beat me senseless if I don't come voluntarily?"

"... Yeah, pretty much."

"Fun times."

"You bet your sweet bippy it will be. I'll be like a non-lethal Repo Man!"

"Uh... how is that anything like repossession?"

She snickered. "Oh God, you haven't seen _Repo! the Genetic Opera_? What, did Daddy keep you in a bubble? I'll have to make Piotr find it for me, you've gotta watch it. It's about, like, fifty years in the future or something, and people need organ transplants, so there's this company called GeneCo - and the head of it is a real bastard but his kids are funny as hell - and so if the people that get the operations don't pay for it, then a Repo Man comes and takes the organ back. It's called recovering GeneCo's property at all costs. It's _awesome_. Nathan is my _hero_."

"... I thought Kurt said you didn't like horror."

"Not horror. _Musical sci-fi_."

"I don't think I want to see this movie... and you're in an extremely good mood today. Why? Did you go outside and see a car wreck?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm in a good mood because I get to use my powers without restraint, consciously, and in front of everybody. Give 'em the razzle dazzle."

"Ah, I see. Well... should we go over and talk to Kurt? They both look pretty upset."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright." She started to limp over, and then grunted. "Damn heavy cast... damn Dr. McCoy, telling me it was broken... damn Mystique, tripping me in the first place..."

Warren chuckled and carefully wrapped his arm around hers. "Alright, let's take it one step at a time now. Let me help, please."

She looked up at him, and for once there wasn't disdain in her eyes. There was annoyance, but it looked like she wasn't completely angry with him for trying to help her. "Boy, when I get my hands on the good doctor..."

Warren just smiled and helped her get to the bedside more quickly. "So... what happened with the spinal tap? Was she okay?"

"It hurt her," Kurt answered softly, stroking Gigi's hair now that she had settled down a bit. "She screamed, und I told her to squeeze my hand as hard as she needed to. Nearly broke it, not zat I mind. After ze needle first vent in she vas a little better, but it hurt coming out again."

"You're all okay now though, right?" Cadence asked, and Warren took notice of the fact that she kept her arm laced through his.

"_Ja_, I am, but Giselle may not be." Kurt's free hand drifted toward the pocket that held his rosary. "Dr. McCoy, vhen he took ze spinal fluid... it..." He dipped his head down, shoulders trembling. "_Dämonin_, _Engel_... it vas _black_."

"Black? Well, shit." Cadence's eyes widened in disbelief, and her arm tightened around Warren's. "But isn't... isn't spinal fluid supposed to be, like, white or clear or something?"

"Clear if someone's healthy," Warren clarified. "And cloudy if they've got meningitis." He shook his head, eyes focusing on Kurt and Gigi. "But I've never heard of black fluid coming from _anywhere_ in the body. Much less the spine. I don't think there's any way that can be good... I'm sorry, Kurt."

"Dr. McCoy vas vorried about it." Kurt finally gave in and pulled out his rosary, quickly wrapping the beads around his fingers. "He thinks it might be a mutant disease. But don't be sorry... my Giselle, she is a fighter. Oh... vill you two pray vith me for zis?"

Warren was about to agree when Cadence's grip tightened again and she began to oh-so courteously lead him out the door. "Oh, no, we'll leave that to Gigi. Warren and I have to, uh - get to the Danger Room. Y'know? New X-Men and powers to demonstrate and all that. Claws is going to chew us out if we're not there on time. But hey, I'll see if we can do it later! Bye, talk to you soon!"

"Why did you do that?" Warren asked once they were in the hallway. "The least we can do is offer some support."

"Because. It _is_ time for the Danger Room thing... and Kurt? Don't get in with his prayer, _please_. You know I love my Elfie to the depth and breadth and whatnot, but I am surprised he's not dead yet. However much religion he squeezes into a day is enough to kill a large bird." She looked over at him and grinned. "Uh, ha-ha... no offense or anything."

"I already told Akira I'm not a bird, so that's exactly what I'm going to tell _you_."

Cadence rolled her eyes. "You've got _wings_! For God's sake. If you're not a bird then what in the hell are you?"

"I have no idea. What are _you_?"

"A bitch. You should already know the answer to that. Come on, Flyboy, Claws will use us as a scratching post if we show up after the _exact_ second the clock turns two."

"... By the way... who's 'Claws'?"

"Logan. I call him Claws, he calls me Demon. I call him ass, he calls me bitch. It's a fun game we play."

"Isn't your codename DemonGirl? How did you get that anyway?"

She shrugged. "How did Kurt get stuck with 'Nightcrawler'? He looks _nothing_ like a worm."

"I guess you have a point. Maybe your name has more to do with your personality than your actual powers."

She gave a slightly bitter giggle as they began walking down a flight of stairs; she took her arm out of his. "Well... can I let you in on a little secret? And promise you won't laugh?"

He shook his head. "You've seen how I look. I wouldn't laugh at anyone unless that was what they were aiming for."

"Okay... it was actually Jean that gave me my name. I was outside, up in the tree with Kurt teasing Bobby and Kitty and Rogue, they were under the thing studying. We kept flipping down and scaring them. And _hell_, was it funny... till Jean came along, that is. We both came down, hanging off the branches, and there she was. She just smiled at us, and she was all 'Professor asked me to investigate some disturbance out here. And look what I find, the Nightcrawler and his demonic little sidekick!' And it just kinda... stuck like that." She shrugged. "So ever since then everyone's called me DemonGirl, and Professor suggested that it be my codename. Logan, he just calls me Demon because... I dunno. It's just the way he is."

"Kurt told me you and Jean were close," Warren commented, hoping to get a bit more out of her. "He said she helped you with your powers."

"We're here." Cadence ignored his statements, and gestured to the door. "I give you... the Danger Room. Watch your step."

* * *

><p>"Demon, you're late. <em>Why<em> are you late? I told you specifically what time we were meeting, trusting that you'd tell Angel here, and _still_ you're late. What do I have to do, paint it on your ceiling?"

"For your _information_, Claws, we had a crisis on our hands." Cadence crossed her arms, giving Logan a glare to rival his. "War was busy with Kurt who was busy with Gigi who had to have a spinal tap."

Logan whistled. "Spinal tap? Shit, I guess that medicine's messing her up."

"Yeah, apparently she doesn't remember Kurt. Or any of us. She's not doing good - Kurt said her spinal fluid came out _black_."

"The hell is that about?"

Warren felt his jaw drop a little bit as he looked around. This room was _huge_, bigger than anything he'd ever seen in the mansion. Then again, being a _mansion_ and all... He shook his head, staring at virtually everything. "Whoa."

"Hey."

He turned around and saw a young man about his age, hand outstretched and smiling. He was surprised that this boy looked somewhat like him. They had the same hair, same face shape. The only thing that Warren could see that told them apart was that the other's eyes weren't blue. "Oh... hi." He reached out and shook the other boy's hand.

"I'm Pietro, I'm the new one here. You?" **(1)**

"Warren Worthington the Third. And, uh, sorry if that sounds a little..."

"Uppity?" Pietro grinned. "Don't worry, we don't name ourselves, after all. If we did, do you think _my_ name would be _Pietro_? I'm not even Italian - I don't know where my dad got this name. I always wanted to be a Zack - you know, nice, normal name." He shook his head, sighing. "Parents."

"Tell me about it," Warren agreed. He let himself feel a little happy; other people besides Cadence, Kurt, and Akira seemed to be interested in being his friend. That was good. "Hey, by the way... this is almost like looking in a mirror."

"Yeah, I know! Right? That's what I was thinking, I didn't wanna say anything."

"Warren!" Cadence shouted. "Stop fraternizing and let Logan introduce the guy! And get your feathery butt over here, I swear I should have you on a leash!"

"Coming!" Warren glanced over at Pietro and, noticing the shocked look on his face, laughed. "She scare you yet?"

"No, no, she seems... uh... nice."

"Um... Pietro? Your face is turning red."

"Ah! No, no..." He shook his head. "It's just... she kind of reminds me of this one girl I went out with... a long time ago..."

Warren furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at Cadence, who was now arguing with Logan again. "Well... there are a lot of people who look like her."

"Yeah, I guess... what color are her eyes?"

"Uh, green."

"Serious... she looks just like..." He shook his head. "Ah, no, can't be her. My Demon's hair was lighter."

"Demon? That's what everyone calls her - but it wasn't till she came here that they started calling her that."

"Weird coincidences..." Pietro sighed, bringing a hand up to his face. "I need to get some sleep. That's probably what all this is. I-I mean - the last time I saw my Demon was, like, five or six years ago. There's _no_ way it's her. It'd be too crazy."

"_Warren_! Your ass, here, _now_!"

"And she's your friend," Pietro commented disbelievingly, though he looked thoroughly amused.

"Complicated. See you later, Pietro."

"See you, Warren. Good luck."

"I'm going to need it." Warren waved a good-bye, then walked over to Cadence, who had her hands on her hips. "So... how is everything?"

"Alphabetical order, 'A' first." She walked around to the front of him and began to take his coat off. "You'll need to get the harness off, you haven't taught me yet."

"Wha - What? _I'm_ first? Why-" He grabbed her hands and placed them down by her sides. "Why don't you go before me? Ladies first, I insist."

"Go right ahead then, _ma'am_. Look, Warren, Claws over there says we have to do this in an orderly fashion - whatever that means." She waved her hand. "Point is, you're the only one with a codename that starts with 'A'. You're_ Angel_. So you go first. Come on now, shyness be gone. If I had Kurt's crucifix I'd be chanting that while holding the thing to your head. Wings out! C'mon, I'll coach you. Up, down, up, down-"

"Thank you," he interrupted, desperate to get her to _stop_. He didn't need coaching, and at the moment she was a bit irritating. He kind of wanted her to go back to being a bitch, her "happy" setting was creeping him out a little. "I think I can handle it. Would you hold this then?" he added as an afterthought, handing her his coat.

"Yeah, yeah. Just take to the skies, I wanna get this over with."

He nodded and undid the harness and gave that to her too, feeling his wings spread out. There was a collective gasp as everyone in the room who hadn't known what his mutation was saw it for the first time. He took it more as a kind of surprised admiration than anything else; it wasn't like anyone _here_ was going to tease him, right? Everyone here had something different... _Just like me,_ he thought, blinking and fluttering his wings a bit. _Maybe... I shouldn't hide it anymore... maybe... maybe it's okay now..._

He heard Cadence playing tour guide behind him. "Large and in charge, right, folks?" she called over the crowd of new X-Men. "And not just a pretty face either! They're fully functional, too! Why don't you show 'em off, eh, Warren? Give 'em the razzle dazzle, just like I told ya! Go on, the ceiling's like a hundred feet high!"

He looked back at her, and when she gave him a smile, he smiled back. He flapped his wings, and leapt up, taking flight. He felt the air rushing past him, against his cheeks, blowing his hair back; it did feel good. Why didn't he fly more often, again? It was so freeing, like he didn't have a thing to worry about.

"And there is Warren Worthington the Third, ladies and gentleman! Codename, Angel! Amazing, isn't he?" he heard Cadence shout. He couldn't tell if it was just an act for the crowd, or if she was sincere about that. Did she... really think he was amazing? Usually it was easy to tell if she really meant something... but...

Unfortunately for him, while he was thinking about that, he forgot to control his flight. And suddenly, he was falling down, so fast he couldn't gain enough balance to start up flying again. He spiraled down, and yelled as he crashed into a pile of cardboard boxes. "_Ouch_!"

"Warren!" He could hear everyone running toward him, but Cadence was faster than everyone else. She reached the edge of the boxes as he was picking himself out of them, trying to climb out of the mess. She leaned over and reached in to help him out. "Warren, oh God, are you okay?"

He accepted her hands, using her as leverage to get to his feet and make his way out of the pile. "Yes... I think so... some feathers are a little bent but for the most part I'm right as-"

"Good." Before he knew what was happening, she'd smacked him upside the head. "You _idiot_! What the hell was that? You could have killed yourself!"

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, trying to regain his bearings again. "I got dizzy, that's all."

"How do you get dizzy? You're up in the air all the fucking time!" She shook her head, facing the rest of the soon-to-be X-Men. "You know what? There are no 'B's or 'C's, so that means it's my turn. The name's Cadence James, codename DemonGirl. And if you ever talk to me before ten in the morning, you'll find out why. In fact, I think Angel's _about_ to find out, _again_."

Warren attempted to block his head as a bunch of cardboard boxes began to rain down on his head. "Hey! Ow! Oh, _that_ one actually hurt! Paper cut! Paper cut!" Still shielding himself, he ran for the door of the room.

"Oh no, you don't!" Cadence shot out her hand toward him.

Against his will, Warren felt himself being dragged back toward the others. "No! Hey! What are you doing? I thought you were just a telepath!"

"I am," she answered boredly, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his waist when he got back to her. She was also pressing against his back and the roots of his wings, making for quite an uncomfortable situation. "Nobody told you, some telepaths can manipulate the elements in others' bodies? That's how I controlled Akira's dad long enough to kill him. Can't do it forever, though, that's why I'm holding you now."

Holding him. Was she? ... She was. He blinked and grimaced at the pain she was causing by holding his back and wings against her chest and collarbone. Mostly it was the bone, digging in where the beginnings of the wings were. "You can't do this forever either." He reached behind him, trying to put his arms around where her waist was.

"Oh God! Oh, you perv!" She shoved him forward and when he turned to look at her, her face was bright red. He felt his face heating up too, as several of the others were snickering. "Claws! Claws, did you _see_ that? He touched my ass! _Fucker_!"

Logan chuckled. "Okay, first of all, Demon - calm down, he didn't even. It was close, but you pushed him away before his hand got too low _or_ too high. Second of all, look at the poor guy! You don't think it looks like he feels bad about it?"

"Zis is vhy you two should newer **(2)** be together in front of other people," Piotr called from the back of the group.

"Shut your 'ewerything vas made in Russia' mouth, Piotr! I'll knock you on your ass! You know how long it takes for you to get up again!" Obviously still flustered, Cadence turned to Logan. "Okay, Claws, that's it. No tight uniforms. It clearly restricts blood flow to men's brains and directs it somewhere else."

"Same could be said for you," Logan retorted, grinning.

"Shut. Up. Or. I. Will. Tear. Those. Damn. Claws. Out. Your. Hands. And. _Beat you with them_."

"Good luck."

Cadence snarled, turned her back on Warren, and faced the others. "Alright, who here is new whose codename begins with the letter 'E'?"

* * *

><p><strong>(1) SUPER CYBER COOKIES TO ANYONE WHO KNOWS WHO THIS IS BEFORE I REVEAL IN NEXT CHAPTER. 80<strong>

**(2) "never" that's just his Russian accent kicking in, similar to Kurt's right? :D**

**Huh... doesn't look like there are any translations for this chapter. Oh well.**

**Poor Warren, falling from the ceiling... WAS Cadence being sincere? Or was she just putting on the "razzle dazzle" she's so fond of? Was Warren SERIOUSLY trying to touch her ass? Or was it just a mistake?**

**Warren: IT WAS A MISTAKE, I TOLD YOU ALREADY! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?**

**...**

**...**

**WELL. As always, analyzing and predictions are welcome, as are ANY reviews. Love you all! ^^**


	20. Chapter 20

**OH GOD.**

**... I'm almost fainting with happiness. XD**

**Why? Because. I remember starting this story - what, like a month ago, while I was waiting for a bridal shower for my friend to start. I remember writing, in a red notebook with my mom's pen, about Warren accidentally running into Cady, her getting pissed, and Kurt trying to keep the peace. I REMEMBER all that. And now I've finished Chapter 20. TWENTY. I love it when I hit that milestone, because I love knowing that my stories have quality AND quantity. I love giving people MORE and I just love WRITING more. It's so fun to come up with new twists and plots and all.**

**Ahem, well... I hope you ENJOY chapter 20! And also, many many suspense things and romance and drama and ACTION-AY to come!**

**... Can anybody believe that even though I have NO idea what every chapter of the story is going to be, I actually know, roughly, how the last few lines are going to go? It's freaky, man, I tell you, FREAKY. I don't know exactly how it's going to end, but I know what the last exchange between Warren and Cadence is going to be. And then probably a short little epilogue after the final chapter.**

**But don't worry, that's not going to happen for a while! Promise, I have SO MUCH more in store before the last note of the song that is this story.**

**ALSO. Before I forget, here's the link to my first Warren/Cadence vid (there WILL be more) on YouTube:**

**www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=nswlFXwsTYM**

**Replace the (dot) with an actual dot (.), take away the spaces, and you'll be good to watch. :D**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>So far they'd gone through about four more new recruits, and Warren had to admit, he was getting bored. Cadence had reverted back to happy tour guide mode, gladly calling out the names of every person before they demonstrated their powers. They hadn't even gotten to Pietro yet, and Warren was anxious to see what the other man could do. Not to mention, he sort of wanted to see if Cadence really knew him. If he was predicting right, she'd have a bit of a reaction if she had dated him at one time.<p>

Since it was determined that Cadence wasn't wrong for leaving out Piotr (codename Colossus), because they were only doing people _new_ to the X-Men, she grabbed a clipboard Logan had been holding and began to read off names. The first was Mina Robbins, codename Fenrir. She transformed into a wolf at will (and also, she stated a bit sheepishly, whenever there was a full moon, so everyone ought to buy some ear plugs and lock their doors) and even when she was human she had superior senses. The first thing Warren thought was, _A mutant who's going to go around telling people what they smell like. Great... another Akira..._

After Mina came Thomas Robbins, her brother, codenamed Highwire, who was similar to his sister but different. In keeping with the "howling" thing they seemed to have, he possessed a supersonic voice. When asked by Cadence how high a pitch he could reach, his answer was, "Enough to beat out a dog whistle in trying to control my sister". Everyone kind of made an unspoken pact to never tick him off... ever. Unless they wanted their eardrums shattered.

Then there was Giovanni de Rosa, who had the codename Hypnosis - and for good reason. He gave them a demonstration where he'd hypnotized Logan and made him do a cartwheel. Nearly everyone laughed at that - Cadence was probably the loudest - though Warren noticed Pietro, like himself, tried to be polite stifle his laughter. Only thing, when Logan came out of that (and it happened pretty quick), he chased Giovanni around the room for a full two minutes before Cadence managed to telepathically get a hold of him and threaten to rip his claws out again.

After that was Rex Kelly, whose codename was Monster. He glared at Cadence when she asked him to "strut his stuff", and glared at practically everyone else in the room. If you looked closely, his eyes weren't normal; his pupils were slit, his irises were red, and they were always angry. The madder he got, the more abilities were revealed. (That reminded Warren of that TV show _The Hulk_ he used to watch as a kid.) His teeth grew and sharpened, his eyes turned completely red, and and spines or spikes or something grew on his back. A demonstration meant that Cadence had to keep making him mad until all of his abilities were revealed - at which time she ran to Warren to protect her, and Logan restrained Rex till he returned to normal.

Finally Rex had calmed down, Logan leading him to the back of the group where Piotr could look after him, and Cadence crawled out from behind Warren and crossed his name off the clipboard, with extra flair because she obviously now disliked him. "Alright then, up next we have a special new X-Men!" she called, and it was clear that her happiness was wearing thin now. She'd already done her own thing, and it appeared she was getting annoyed with how many new additions there were. "He's just transferred here, and he's... Magneto's son. Wow." She looked over at Logan. "Are we serious with this? I mean, really? Stormy, did you even _authorize_ this?"

"Give him a chance, Cadence," Storm sighed. "He's not that bad-"

Logan took over from there. "But we've _all_ got full permission to tear him up if he tries anything funny, okay, Demon? So cool it. And besides, is it really fair to judge people for the actions of their parents? It's the guy I was telling you about, the one who made friends with Angel. He's good."

"Oh." She ducked her head down at her clipboard, then her eyes widened slightly as she looked up. "Pietro... Maximoff...? Uh, um... codename Quicksilver, I mean. Y-Yeah. That's... step up here, dude, right here, come on, hurry it up."

Warren blinked a few times. Well, he'd sure like to see her reaction when someone _did_ ring a bell, if that wasn't it. Maybe she _had_ known Pietro? Like, a long, _long_ time ago? It looked like it, like she was surprised to see him. And, a little voice in the back of his head reminded him of something. Cadence? _Never_ stuttered.

Pietro stepped up and held up a hand. "Uh... hi, everyone. I know that, um... because of my father, you guys might not trust me right away. And that's fine. But I hope I can, like... you know... prove that I'm not like him. I want to help you guys... what my dad's doing is wrong."

Cadence clapped her hand on the clipboard once. "Alright! Demonstration of powers? What can you do?"

"Super speed."

"Okay, I get the 'Quick' part, but... why 'silver'? Isn't quicksilver another name for mercury, anyway?"

"Yes. And when I'm using my super speed my skin heats up to the point that anyone who touches it is in for a nasty surprise."

"I see. Can we have an example?" Cadence tapped her pen against the clipboard, rapidly becoming impatient. "Come on, give it to us!"

Pietro nodded and all of a sudden, he was just a blur racing around the Danger Room. Warren couldn't even make out the shape, it was just a rush of color. "I suggest everyone move back and not touch me right now!" came Pietro's voice from everywhere at once.

"Shit holy!" Cadence jumped back, almost dropping the clipboard. "Wait... I said that wrong..."

A few seconds later Pietro once again stood in front of Cadence, though his face was flushed and his hair was now a mess. "Was that enough of a demonstration?"

"Yeah, I think that'll suffice. Step back and calm down, your face is all red. Oh, a question though." She pointed her pen at him. "Have you ever gone so fast that the friction was super-heated and you actually caught yourself on fire?"

Pietro raised an eyebrow. "Um... no."

"Well, that would be cool. Work on it - if you do that in front of Pyro he'll be distracted looking at the pretty flames and you'll be able to burn him off to a little crisp - like a baked potato chip." She checked his name off. "Alright, next..."

* * *

><p>After going through five more new X-Men, Cadence's patience was gone and Warren's boredom had only intensified.<p>

Jeremi Braddock, AKA "Steelmind", who was capable of producing holograms of himself and other people, like illusions, so he could distract and sneak up on the enemy.

Kingsley Reymus, AKA "Stretch", who could manipulate any part of her body to make it more flexible. (Some of the boys snickered at that, though Warren just rolled his eyes at them.)

Melissa Cantrell, AKA "Trifecta", whose punch or kick would triple her opponent's weight, and after a few hits not many people would be able to get up.

Joseph Roberts, Jr., AKA "UltraMatter", who insisted upon being called Joey, and whose powers were similar to Cadence's, with the exception that he couldn't move people, only objects.

Leslee Rae Chardyn, AKA "Wishstalker", who was basically a vampire of the mind, drawing out dreams from others and turning them into energy lasers in her hands.

After everyone had been introduced, Cadence tossed the clipboard to Logan and walked over to Warren, grabbing his hand. "Alright, time to go see the good doctor, find out what the deal is with Gigi, and get this damn thing off my leg. Come on, Flyboy, and for God's sake, I'm making you watch _Repo!_ tonight. Any argument? Didn't think so." She looked back as she opened the door. "Nice meeting all of you, by the way! And hey, Joey? See if you can work on your control, you were wavering a little. Peace out, Angel and I leave now. Nobody follow, me no likee stalkers."

Warren didn't have much choice but to come along with her, because it didn't seem like she'd be letting go any time soon. "Uh... bye, everyone! See you all later."

"Demon, get your ass back in this room! We're not done here! Damn it!" came Logan shouting as they left.

* * *

><p>"So how'd it all go anyway?" Cadence asked, pulling Warren over to Gigi's bedside with her.<p>

Gigi was asleep now, and it looked as though Kurt had tied his rosary around her neck like a pendant. He was sitting there still, holding her hand. "Dr. McCoy vill be out in a few minutes. He looked at ze fluid... it vas ze effect of ze medicine. It vas not doing any'sing positive for her, und ze black color... zat vas from all of ze chromosomes, vith ze mutant gene trying to rebuild on top where zere vas no'sing zat needed rebuilt. It vas... giving her things she did not need, und zat overloaded her system, caused all zese problems. Her mood change, memory loss, fatigue. All ze colors of ze different separate genes building on each chromosome mixed, zat is vhat made ze black color. You vere right, _Engel_."

"So she's going to be okay then?" Cadence asked, looking down at the woman on the bed. Warren felt her hand tighten around his, and he ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

"_Ja_, Dr. McCoy says ve just have to stop ze medicine. It's not doing any'sing except causing... zis. He's vorried if she keeps taking it, she'll only get vorse until..." He shook his head, blinking away tears. "No, no. I'm not going to think zat vay. I vill say zis, though... vonce she's better... no more fear of commitment from Kurt Wagner. Giselle vill never be able to complain about it again."

Cadence's hand tightened again. "Kurt... oh God, does this mean what I think it means?"

He smiled at her. "_Ja_, Cady. I see zat life is too short... too precious to vaste. I must make use of ze time I have." He reached over with his other hand to brush his fingers across Gigi's cheek. "I just hope she vants it as much as I do."

"_Yeeeees_. Follow my advice, Kurt, and it shall lead you down paths you _never even knew existed_." She looked over at Warren. "Ah well, why don't we, uh... sit over there? Give them some privacy here."

Despite the fact that Warren felt she'd been giving them privacy all day, he followed her to the other side of the room to wait. He tried to help her sit down, but she smacked his hands away and did it herself while he just shrugged and took a seat himself. "So, um..." He raised an eyebrow as she picked up a magazine and began to read. "'No more fear of commitment'? What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you what it means." She flipped a page, trying to appear bored as usual, but there was no hiding the grin pulling at her lips. "We're going to have a mutant wedding, that's what it means."

* * *

><p><strong>GASP.<strong>

**Mutant wedding? You know what that means, right?**

**... Mutant wedding RECEPTION! Yeah, well, things in my real life sometimes influence my writing, so... I wanted something to kind of solidify Kurt and Gigi's relationship. I have the PERFECT first-dance song for them, and it's soooo sweet and describes them exactly. Not telling what it is, though. ;P**

**And... teehee... it was also kind of an excuse to get Logan to drink. Excessively. Oh, it's going to be fun... hehehe...**

**Warren: O.O ... *praying* Please let Cadence be a happy drunk, please let Cadence be a happy drunk, please, please, PLEASE...**

**Me: ... I wouldn't put any money on it, "Flyboy"...**

**But, as anyone knows, before happiness comes misery. So there's going to be lots of drama, some emotional and some action... al... before the wedding and reception. That is, if Gigi even says yes...**

**Inner Me: Oh who the hell are you kidding! She's not gonna refuse the man, he's too adorable! Besides, if she says no he's just going to go pout in the corner and eventually she'll say yes! CHAAAA!**

**... Man I've really gotta stop talking to Sakura from Naruto... _**

**Thank to you EVERYBODY who's reviewed so far: arachnidsGrip, Auluna, Mara, Kilik Saiyaku-Captain Green, Chishio chuudoku, Gloo1997, TheOnlyMarauderette, Puella Pulchra, hunterwe, togo65, fire-fusion, DeadinmySleep, shygrrl217, Emmy Matute, padmefan17, Gollum4077, Tridentbearer1, especially Echo Dancer who always manages to flatter me with the analysis, and ANYONE anonymous who may have reviewed. YOU GUYS ARE THE REASON I WRITE, THANKS SO MUCH! *happy tears***

**Thanks for reading, expect a lot more, and drop me a review to let me know how you likes it! ^^**


	21. Chapter 21

**YAY Chapter 21!**

**Well guys, hopefully there should be more fighting action... hmm... actually, around chapter 23. Yes, I believe that's when I'll start what I was planning, setting the main action into motion.**

**Also... I have a bit of a treat for you guys, aside from the video. The link I am about to give you is to be used wisely. It's the link to a few little ficlets of Warren and Cadence (plus Akira, Kurt, Pietro, the others too), to which I will be adding. However... the ficlets are centered around a fetish that I have and I posted them for my community. I've always been a little afraid to reveal it, but writing this has made me realize: I should stop hiding it, it's a part of me and it's never going to go away. So if you look at it and it's not your thing, please don't even comment because it'll bring my confidence back down to 5%. I'm still a little nervous about putting it out there, a lot of people on the net have commented that it's weird. So, here's the link:**

**sfforum(dot)invisionzone(dot)com/index(dot) php? showtopic = 7584**

**Same as before, replace the (dot) with an actual dot (.) and remove all the spaces, it'll take you there. I currently only have two up, but I'm writing more as we speak, if you read them and want more. It's sort of a way to entertain you (and my forum peeps) until I get the next chapter up). I hope you like them, and if you do keep checking back 'cause I'll add to it randomly, whenever I finish two or more.**

**Thanks for checking it out if you do, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Once Cadence had gotten Dr. McCoy to take off her cast, and she could walk normally, she <em>left<em>. Warren had rejoined Kurt and Gigi, who was still asleep. When Kurt asked where Cadence had gone, Warren looked at the door, turned back, and then commented, "She ditched me. She _totally ditched_ me." To which Kurt simply chuckled and said, "Vell, zat's Cady for you."

He stayed with them for a long time. Gigi finally woke up, and the first thing she did was look up at Kurt and smile. He was still holding her hand, and she let go, reaching up to touch his face. Then she said something that Kurt obviously wasn't expecting: "We've already been to _Paris_... so why don't we spend honeymoon in beautiful Berlin, hmm, _mon cher_?"

Kurt just about started crying for joy, leaning down to hold her face and kissing her. He was shouting happily, "Of course, _liebling_, any'sing you vant!" And then he stopped, a blank look on his face, looking at her, and then said, "Oh... you heard zat? So I can take zat as a yes, zen?" She just laughed and pulled him down to kiss him.

_Progress, and better than expected,_ Warren thought with a smile as he stood up and quietly took his leave of them. Kurt definitely deserved privacy with her now, and he wasn't about to intrude on their discussions of how to plan the wedding and what they were going to do afterwards - traveling and how many children to have and things like that. It wasn't his place to know about those things ahead of time. Besides, Gigi's memory probably wasn't _all the way_ back yet.

He walked through the halls, passing Leslee Rae and Giovanni, who were holding hands and obviously seeming to get to know each other better. He gave them a smile, and they smiled back, though clearly more interested in each other than him. He was about to step into the lounge, which really was more like the living room, when he heard people coming this way - and one of them sounded suspiciously like Cadence.

"Well, geez, I mean, Pietro Maximoff, _my_ Pietro! Who woulda thought?"

"I know, it's crazy, right?" That was apparently Pietro, as she wouldn't be talking to air. "Cadence James. I never thought I'd see my Demon again. And look, I'm... sorry that I broke up with you like that. Without any warning, I mean. My dad really didn't like you, and he kinda threatened..."

"I know how it goes, Pietro, parents are so stupid sometimes. And hey, _I'm_ sorry you have Magneto as a dad. That had to be awkward with, like, Bring Your Kid to Work Day or something. Exposed to Mystique once a year for an entire day? That's gotta kill some brain cells and damage the optic nerves, babe."

Warren quickly rushed behind the wall, only looking out a little so that he could see them. From what he could see, Cadence's arm was wrapped around Pietro's, and they were both smiling. Cadence was... wearing glasses...? Slightly tinted glasses? And they both sat down on the couch after they came in, somebody turning the TV to a different channel.

"Yeah well, he's never been the best dad in the world... but hey, I turned out fine, didn't I?"

"I'll say." Warren saw Cadence reach over and tug on a strand of Pietro's short blonde hair. "You're like Warren's clone without the wings! You could pass for twins if you ever needed to."

"Warren seems like a nice guy. Could you believe, though, he didn't think you were the same person who was _my_ Demon? He thought it was just a coincidence."

"Well, it _is_ a little unbelievable. I almost don't believe this is happening myself, you know? It's got to have been... I mean... how long has it been? Last time I saw you must have been, like, in high school."

"Yeah. My senior year, your almost... senior..."

"You can say it, Pietro, I dropped out before the year was even over."

"That wasn't because of me, was it?"

"Well, you had something to do with it, but trust me, it wasn't all you. I mean, really, it _was_ only a month we were together. Don't get too full of yourself now, hon."

"Ha... sorry, Cady, you're right."

Warren shook his head, almost... disgusted. More confused than disgusted, really. Cadence had never acted this sweet to _anyone_ before! This was too weird, just too weird. He'd never seen her act this way before. What was it with Pietro that had her so... happy? Granted she'd been like that today before she knew Pietro was here, but she was actually being friendly to him. She hadn't acted like that when she met _him_.

Something in the back of his mind screamed jealousy, but he tried to ignore it. After all, Cadence was free to pursue any kind of relationship with Pietro - even picking up where apparently they'd left off. Warren wasn't with her in the romantic sense, no matter the few times he had thought about being just that. She could do what she wanted; he shouldn't stop her, and he _wouldn't_.

"Oh." He saw Cadence sit up, but he could just barely see that her hand was on Pietro's shoulder. Had she been lying against him...? "This was great, Pietro, really great. It was awesome seeing you again. But I think you should get to sleep, huh? New X-Men have an hour of training, eight tomorrow morning. You might 'burn out', so to speak."

Pietro laughed, as did she. "Oh, good one, Demon. Hey, I'll see you later then. Night."

"Night, Pietro."

Enthralled with their conversation as he was, Warren didn't notice Pietro coming his way, didn't move, and was promptly bumped into. "Ah!"

"Whoa." Pietro stepped aside. "Sorry, Warren." He clamped a friendly hand on his shoulder, grinning. "I'm heading up, you might wanna think about it too. I hear training's gonna be brutal."

_Blank. No, no... say something. Say SOMETHING so he doesn't think you're ignoring him or you're a stalker or anything._ "Yeah, sure... whatever. Goodnight."

"Alright, see you in the morning, man." With that, he walked past the winged mutant and off to his own room.

"Warren?" Cadence stood up and walked over, putting her hands on her hips as she faced him. "You get to bed, _now_. I'm not going to be at training tomorrow to save your ass if you're tired, so you get it to bed, _adesso_."

"Now you're speaking Italian? What, are you trying to impress him or something? He's not even Italian." He hadn't really meant for that to come out; it was supposed to stay in his head. But as it was the first thing he thought, and he couldn't think fast enough to replace it with something appropriate, it just came tumbling past his lips. He mentally smacked his hand over his mouth as soon as he said it.

Even in the dim light he saw her getting mad. "Okay. I know you're probably tired, but seriously - what in the _imaginary seventh ring of hell_ is that supposed to mean, huh?" She let one arm fall to rest flush against her body, but dug the other fist in deeper. "What, I'm not allowed to talk to my former boyfriend?"

"Not if it's going to lead to the word 'former' becoming null and void." Whoops. There he went again, blurting out the first thing that popped into his head. _Boy, I really need some kind of filtration system. The number of stupid things I've said now is climbing by the second._

"_Excuse_ me?" She stepped forward, placed both hands on his chest, and gave him a shove back, into the empty hall. "Are you kidding me, Warren? You tell me right now you're kidding! You do _not_ have reign over who I chose to date or not date! I haven't seen Pietro in almost six years, and you just _assume_ that because I was talking to him that we're going to get back together? I would have thought you knew better than to assume, Warren!" Almost with every sentence she was giving him another push, and the table by the couch had flipped over, spilling everything on the floor. She was _mad_ now.

"W-Well..." He quickly brought up his arms to block himself from further assault, though it didn't help much. "The way you're talking to him! Like you think it'd be just great to be with him again!"

The itch rose on his back, his wings beating wildly to get out, and suddenly that alerted him to just how upset he was about this. He'd thought Cadence was starting to open up to him, that they were sharing a connection, and out of nowhere Pietro came and it was like she instantly trusted him! Like he didn't have to work the way that Warren did to get to her heart and earn her friendship. Even if they'd been close five years ago - five years changed a person, she should have reacted the same way to him that she did to all strangers. He liked Pietro for a friend, he really did, but what could he have done to deserve Cadence's affection that Warren hadn't done?

_That's it, no more crying in the corner. She's not going to stop pushing me until I push back hard enough._ He switched the position of his arms, from up in front of his face to out, hands on Cadence's shoulders. His fingers gripped and dug into her shirt, and he tried. He tried to shove her back as hard as she'd been shoving him, hard enough to knock her against the wall, but he just couldn't do that. He cared about her, and if he hurt her, he'd be undermining the whole idea of trying to keep her safe. If he hurt someone he was supposed to care about, he'd be no better than Akira's parents.

He gave her a push, not hard enough to propel her into anything, but she stumbled backward, eyes wide, obviously not expecting that. It looked like he might have made her lose her breath too. She looked up at him, her eyes both confused and angry, a hand half over her chest, half over her stomach. "W-Warren! You son of a bitch! The hell was that for?"

He stepped away, before she could reach him, and gave her a hard look, though he could already feel the tears pricking at his eyes. "Because you have to _ask_ what that was for."

He turned, and ran for the safety of his room.

He heard her calling after him, "_Warren_!" But he just ignored it.

* * *

><p><strong>French Translation<strong>

**mon cher = my dear (is the masculine version, the feminine "ma chèrie" is more common)**

**Italian Translation**

**adesso = now**

**AWWW POOR WARREN. I think Cadence is in trouble and definitely due for some explanation, yes? And poor Warren, he's going to go sulk for a bit.**

**... I always seem to make you guys mad at Cadence... and here she goes again! But maybe that's my intention...?**

**Eh. I have no freaking clue. I'm just the author. *rimshot***

**Kurt: You had to, didn't you?**

**Me: YUS SIR. :D How did Mass go?**

**Kurt: Cady, Gigi, und I vere ze only vones zat showed up.**

**Me: Gasp. Non-believers.**

**Hope you enjoyed, and I hope you enjoy the ficlets! I know you can't comment there, but reviews are much appreciated and LURVED. Thanks! ^^**


	22. Chapter 22

**HAHAHAHAHA.**

**Why am I laughing evilly? ... Or not-quite-so-evilly? Because. Next chapter is 23, and you know what that means, right?**

**THE BEGINNING OF ACTION AND MORE DRAMA AND IMPROVED PLOT. Doesn't that sound exciting?**

**Well, stay tuned after this chapter for an important commercial message. :D**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"Knock, knock. Can I come in?"<p>

He didn't answer. He was still lying on the bed, stomach down, in the same position he'd been in all night, clutching his pillow. His shirt and harness had been discarded, on the floor, his wings spread out but not in the air. Part of them rested on him, the ends drug on the floor. He hadn't been able to sleep... he was too bitter. He just kept replaying what had happened, over and over again in his mind. How could she not know what she did?

And it scared him, how angry he was over this. He'd never really been... _this_ mad at her before. Annoyed, yes. Exasperated, yes. At his wits' end, _yes_. But he'd never gotten really, all-out furious with her. He couldn't. She was _always_ irritating, and the fact that she was a bitch was her personality; but she'd never gone and done something totally unforgivable. This time, she'd stepped over the line. He didn't know if he could forgive her for this... for wanting Pietro's friendship and affection more than she wanted his.

So he didn't answer her. Even if he'd wanted to, he wasn't sure he could. His face was still in the same angry pout it had been in all night, and he was afraid it had just frozen that way. His mom told him that could happen, if he made a nasty face for too long, and that was what she told him every time he scowled at whatever was for dinner.

He heard the door open, and she walked in. She closed the door behind her, and took a few steps forward. "Warren? You've got to get up. Training is in half an hour, did you even get any sleep?"

He shook his head stiffly. He wasn't even sure he ought to dignify her with a response, but he wasn't heartless, no matter how mad he was.

"Damn it, Warren. Why do you think I told you to get your ass in bed when I _did_?" He felt her touching his wing, the one that was closest to her. "And why are you-"

He fluttered it at her, drawing it in to rest against his back. _Don't touch me,_ he begged in his mind, although he really wanted the opposite._ Just go away._

"Okay, okay. I guess that's what I get for stepping over the border into Wing Town." He could just picture her, with her hands up parallel to her face, looking probably just as tired as he felt, but not without that ever-present hint of annoyance. "Would you just talk to me, you dork?"

If that was her way of saying she was sorry, it certainly didn't get the message across very well. Just for that, she didn't get a reply of any kind.

"Fine." He felt her sit down, and the warmth of her hand rested near his hand, as if she weren't sure whether or not to touch him again after what he'd just done when she touched his feathers. "Be that way. I'll talk, then, and you can just listen. One of us needs to do the talking or we're on a one-way train to Nowhere. Look... about what happened last night. First of all, I should _not_ have touched you. Okay? I didn't want to hurt you but I was mad. I've got to try and work on it. So I... I guess... I... okay, _listen_! I'm not saying you're totally right, but I'm _sorry_!"

There was silence between both of them for a minute, and Warren thought about that. She seemed to have a problem with apologizing, yet this was the second time she'd told him she was sorry for something she did. She made the effort for him even though it was difficult.

"Well? Are you going to at least _look_ at me, Warren?"

"I would," he mumbled, trying to move. "But..."

"But what? You don't forgive me?"

"... I think I'm stuck. Help."

"_Stuck_? How can you be stuck on a bed? Just get up."

"No, in this position. I haven't moved all night."

"Oh, for God's sakes, Warren." He felt her hand on his back, then she slid one under him, on his stomach. "I'm going to count to three and you're going to help me sit you up, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay... onetwothree." Not even a second had gone by before she'd pushed him up into a sitting position. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he heard something crack; and he was sore.

"_Ow_! That's not fair, you said on 'three'!"

"Yeah. And I did."

"But you counted too fast! I wasn't ready!"

"Are you okay?"

"... Yes."

"Good." She leaned over and put her hand on his leg, and he noticed that her face was flushed light pink now. "Look, Warren... the way I was talking with Pietro... doesn't mean I like him better than you, okay? He... responds better to happy Cadence. The way I used to be, I mean, before I dropped out of school and ended up... like _this_." She was inching ever closer, toward him, their faces barely three inches apart now. "He doesn't need to know how much I've changed because if he does, he will _break_. I know your dad, what he did to you was bad... but having _Magneto_ as a dad is a million times worse. He's been through a lot, Warren. He's a lot like you... but you're tougher. Trust me."

Before he even knew what he was doing, he had leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips lightly against her cheek. He drew away almost immediately after, though he still held her. "I'm... sorry too. I... shouldn't have pushed you. I didn't want to. It was just... the first thing that came to my mind. I got... jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" She leaned over, smirked, and pressed her lips to his cheek before pulling away. "Of _that_? Pietro's not going to be getting any of that anymore."

"A... A-And I am?"

"... Well... we'll see."

Warren blinked a few times, eyes wide and face red, and almost fell over himself trying to grab her as she stood up. "H-Hey, wait-"

"Uh-uh, Flyboy." She stepped away, toward the door, and opened it. "You think I'm easy? No way, even Pietro didn't get more than a kiss on the cheek within the first month he knew me. And, uh, between you and me... he's, uh, good-lookin'."

"I thought you said he looked like me."

"Then you see where I'm going with this, m'love." She opened the door and shot him a smile. "You better get dressed if you want to eat before training. And, uh, you _do_. It's torture. Claws'll run you ragged - have fun though."

* * *

><p>"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."<p>

"Calm down, Warren." Cadence was holding an ice pack against her friend's arm, her other hand patting his neck carefully. "The ice should start helping soon. Where else does it hurt?"

"It would probably be easier to tell you where it _doesn't_ hurt," he groaned, laying his head down on the table. "I'm sore all over - my legs, my stomach, my back."

"Claws really did screw you up. Geez, what did he do, string you up and use you as a punching bag? Hold that on your arm, I'll get some ice for your stomach."

"Thanks."

As Cadence headed over to the freezer to get another ice pack, Warren heard someone else moaning and looked over to the doorway to see Pietro. The other boy had a hand over his stomach, the other wrapping around himself to hold the opposite shoulder. "You too, Pietro?"

"Everybody's like this," he answered, plopping himself down in a chair beside Warren. "Kingsley can barely even get up, she's packed in ice in a bed down at the clinic."

"Why did he have to work us so hard the first day?"

"I know," Pietro agreed. "I'm sore in places I didn't even know I _had_."

"Take a seat," Cadence called, closing the freezer. "I'll get to you all one at a-" By this time she had turned around and immediately stopped in the middle of her sentence when she saw Pietro's face. "Holy shit!" She ran over, handing the ice pack to Warren and tilting up Pietro's chin to examine him. "Pietro, how in the hell did you get that black eye?"

"Ororo got me," he chuckled shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"She told you to dodge," Warren pointed out. "She was _trying_ to help you."

"She'd already built up momentum!" Pietro defended, rubbing his shoulder. "By the time my body decided to catch up with my brain, I was already on the floor!"

"Yikes." Cadence sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Alright, hon, sit down and I'll take care of you. One sec." She moved back to Warren, pressing the ice pack and his hand on his stomach. "There, poor thing. Why don't you go lie on the couch while I take care of Pietro?"

He gave her a look that was half warning and half hurt. "Cadence..."

"Hey hey." She patted his cheek. "Look, I just need a little space to move around, you know how much of a klutz I can be. I decided to slide down a banister, remember? Worked out cruddily for all involved." She leaned over and discreetly brushed her lips against his cheek, like she had earlier that morning, and gave him a smile. "Besides... you need to rest, you idiot. Don't you know your own limits? You shouldn't even be standing up. Go on, lie down and keep that ice on. Channel surf to keep your mind off the pain - sleeping would probably be even better."

He nodded, feeling his face flush slightly at the second instance of such contact, and decided to take initiative. He reached over and returned the favor, grazing a light kiss over her cheek before offering a smile as she had. "I will. Thanks for taking care of me."

She grinned. "Cadence James, saving the angels since 2006. **(1)** Alright, go get some rest, babe."

"Okay. Come in when you're done?"

"Maybe. I might go see Kurt, or Gigi, or go find out what Akira's up to. Haven't seen the little munchkin all day, that's usually never a good sign."

"Alright. I'll see you later then."

"Try to get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." She gave one last, slight smile, then turned her attention to Pietro. "I'm gonna kick Claws's ass later, I swear..."

Warren made his way into the lounge, where he just about collapsed on the couch. He suddenly felt tired, and the only things that weren't in pain were his wings. He hadn't used them in practice; nope, fighting with mutant powers was tomorrow's lesson. He rolled onto his back, not caring about it at the moment because right now, his wings didn't hurt and his stomach did - lying on his stomach, like he usually did, would be a very bad idea and only make it hurt worse.

He folded one arm over his stomach to hold the ice pack, positioned himself so that the other one was held in place by the back of the couch, and closed his eyes.

_Just for a minute..._

* * *

><p>"Warren." Sigh. "Warren, wake up." Giggle. "Come on, Flyboy."<p>

Warren blinked awake, shifting his head from side to side as he tried to clear his blurry vision. "Hmm...?"

"You can't tell me this couch is more comfortable than _anything_ else in this house, Warren." Cadence leaned over him, her face looking upside down. "You've been sleeping for five hours, Warren. If you sleep on this couch any longer, you're really going to screw up your back." She ruffled his hair, giving a grin. "You should move up to your bed if you're still tired, and there are leftovers from lunch in the fridge if you're hungry."

He tried to push himself into a sitting position, yawning quietly. "Where are _you_ going? Up to the library or something?"

"No, no... I'm leaving for a few hours. I've got a couple errands to run, so... well, I should be back about four, _maybe_ five, and close to six at the absolute latest. I doubt it'll take that long, but I'm taking Claws's motorcycle. He's not using it today, said I could." She bent over and kissed his cheek lightly, as she'd been doing since the first time she'd seen him this morning. "See you later, babe."

... And why did she keep calling him "babe"? From what he'd seen she wasn't the type to use generic, common nicknames like that. She'd been acting so weird lately, ever since she'd rejoined the X-Men and Pietro showed up. "Oh well... okay then... I'll see you then, Cadence."

"Make sure to move up to your room, I don't want you hurting your back."

"Okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes and turning towards the back of the couch.

"I mean it, Warren!" she shouted, jangling the keys to Logan's motorbike as she headed out to the garage. "You get your ass off that damn couch or I will beat you senseless when I get back!"

"I know, I know," he muttered, trying to find a more comfortable position.

"God _damn_ it, Warren... if I come back and you're still there, I will give you fake hair extensions, pour glitter on your wings, take off your harness, then tell Akira you turned into a fairy! And you don't wanna know what he does to fairies!"

With that, the door to the garage slammed, and there was the sound of a motorcycle being started up.

A second later, Warren bolted up and stared wide-eyed at the garage door. Wait, no, this didn't add up. Cadence didn't like to leave her _room_ - what on Earth could be so important besides a battle that it would make her want to leave the _house_?

This wasn't good. This was _not_ good.

He leapt up and ran over to the garage, flinging the door open as he heard the motorcycle engine revving up. But by the time he got there, Cadence was already speeding off down the street. "Oh man..."

He looked back into the lounge, took a breath, and just about ripped his harness off. He tossed it onto the table, letting his wings flutter out, and ran through the garage outside. He could barely see her - she was quickly disappearing from his view, becoming a little dot on the horizon. He had to go after her and find out where she was going and what she was going there to do.

He flapped his wings, jumped up into the air, got his balance, and began to follow her in the air.

* * *

><p><strong>(1) - 2006, Cadence would have been 18. Just for reference.<strong>

**OK, two important messages.**

**First of all, I made a little boo-boo with the link for my ficlets last chapter. Please disregard it. I forgot the site was member-only access, so if you'd like to read the ficlets, you'll have to give me your e-mail address. XD Sorry about that, guys!**

**Second message. More previews! Again, they're only quotes, but this time there are a couple of them. They're not necessarily in order, and they may or may not be related. And also, remember that these aren't only said by Warren or Cadence or Kurt - there are a few more OC's to come.**

**Here we go:**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Angel...? Angel is gone."<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><em>_**"Take your medicine now, like a good boy. That's it... nice and easy."**_

* * *

><p><em><em>_**"Oh my God... do we really have to...? Isn't there anything else we can do?"**_

* * *

><p><em><em>_**"YOU KILLED HIM! Tell me where he is or I'll make sure you never wake up!"**_

* * *

><p><em><em>_**"Please forgive me... I didn't want to hurt you... I'm sorry..."**_

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><p><em><em>**There we go. I tried to give away enough to make you raise your eyebrows, but not too much. Too much would spoil the story. Predictions are welcome! Oh and reviews. Reviews are welcome as well... hehehe...**

**... What? Did that sound evil to you? Feh, I'll work on my "begging" speeches...**

**Hope you enjoyed, reviews are loved!**


	23. Chapter 23

**OK so... much craziness and action going down in this chapter. Also, I apologize for how OBSCENELY LONG this is. Although, that's probably what you guys want. ^.^;**

**Thanks to everybody for reviews AND for reading and adding to favs and such.**

**And I'll let the chapter speak for itself. Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren hung back, waiting until Cadence had gotten off the bike, hanging her helmet on the edge, and was out of sight. She had parked at and gone into what seemed to be some kind of abandoned building. He'd never seen the place before, but Cadence had driven the motorcycle until they were nearly out of town. This was insane; this couldn't be good. What could she possibly have to do <em>here<em>? This looked like such an unsavory place... granted, she wasn't the best person in the world, but this building just gave off waves of negativity.

He flew down, landing by the door which was slightly open. She didn't close it all the way. He let his wings hang down just a bit, behind him, the tips just barely brushing the ground. He was actually a little afraid to see what she was doing.

As he was contemplating simply going back and telling Ororo where Cadence was, he heard a low chuckle coming from inside the building, followed by a particularly sinister-sounding voice.

"Ah, my dear Cadence... so you decided to take up the offer after all?" Was that... was that Magneto?

"Cut the crap, _Erik_ with a _k_." He could practically see Cadence as she spoke, face set in an annoyed expression, but far more intense than her default glare. Hands on her hips. Legs apart and feet planted into the ground. "Are we going to do this, or what?"

"Calm down, _honey_." A new voice entered the mix, a silken purr of a woman's tone. "You might want to try being a little sweeter instead of so sour."

Warren took a breath and peeked just around the doorframe. There was... Magneto... with a blue, orange-haired woman who didn't look like she was even clothed by his side. Was that Mystique? And why the hell - _hell_ - would Cadence be talking to Magneto? According to what she thought of the guy, she should be pounding the fudge out of him! This sounded like a _negotiation_!

Cadence stood across from the two, in almost exactly the position Warren had figured. She only had one hand on her hip. She steeled her eyes at the blue woman. "You know, Mystique, I still don't forgive you for doing that lame impression of Angel just so you could kick my ass. I should be pounding your face in for disrespecting him like that." Her eyes switched to Magneto. "And you. If you hold up your end of this deal, what am I going to have to do for you?"

"Simple." He snapped his fingers at Mystique.

She nodded and ducked into another room, emerging a moment later with a girl in her arms. The girl was dressed in a black tank top and jeans, was barefoot, and her red hair was short, straight, and it looked dry. Her skin was also extremely pale - paler than Cadence's. Mystique placed the young lady on the floor between herself and Cadence, then returned to her place at Magneto's side.

"This is Mutant 15, also known as Luna Marsden." Magneto gestured to the girl lying on the floor. "Everyone calls her Coma."

Cadence crossed her arms as she studied the woman. "Why?"

"With one touch she can render others unconscious. She was kept in a cryogenic chamber by Dr. William Stryker. Stored near his own son, Jason. Recently taken out of the freezer, but has not regained function." Magneto nodded down toward Luna. "You use your powers to telepathically restart her body, wake her up, and... that's all you must do."

Cadence swallowed, then got to her knees, putting one hand on the girl's shoulder and one on her leg. She looked up at Magneto, a distrusting but somewhat desperate look in her eyes. "So if I do this... you won't harm Angel, Nightcrawler, Keyboard, or Akira?"

Magneto gave a disconcerting smile, raising a hand with the other behind his back. "Miss James, I am _nothing_ if not a man of my word."

Mystique smirked, but Cadence seemed not to notice.

"Okay. O... Okay, I'll do it."

"Good girl. You came alone, right?"

"Of course I did. You told me to. Alright, I'm doing it now. So both of you shut up or I'm not gonna be able to concentrate." Cadence took a breath and closed her eyes, pressing her hands to the areas she had them on. Her fingertips moved over every part of Luna's body, and she signaled off what she was doing. "Nerve endings activated. Bone growth beginning to continue. Life-style rigor mortis bypassed, muscles are contracting and compressing." She moved her hand to the stomach. "Digestive tract, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys restarted. Appendix has been removed and is not active." Her fingers moved lower, to the hips. "Uterus, ovaries, and pelvic region online. Ovaries are currently producing ova, signifying light menstruation..."

"Can't you go any faster?" Mystique hissed.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Cadence retorted, her eyes snapping open. She returned to her task, moving her hand to Coma's head. "Neuron production has been resumed in the brain. She's thinking." Finally her hands moved to the woman's chest, placing both palms over the left side of the ribcage. "Heart has been shocked and is beginning to pump blood." She leaned back, withdrawing her hands. "Don't be surprised if she needs a transfusion soon, her blood's wearing out from all the time in the cryogenic chamber."

Warren watched, almost entranced, as Coma's eyes snapped open, revealing brown, and she got to her feet with perfect coordination. It worked? Telepaths could _do_ that? This didn't make sense. Furthermore... what kind of a monster was Magneto anyway, offering Cadence that kind of a choice? Add a member to the Brotherhood's league of evil and earn a kind of immunity from attack for those she cared about... or fight the good battle, with Magneto's army showing no mercy and possibly killing everyone she cared about, regardless of whether or not they were an X-Man? That was an impossible choice. He would have known which she'd pick. That was called playing dirty - preying on someone's fear.

No. No, he couldn't do something like this to Cadence. How dare he! The emotional turmoil it must be causing her, increasing the chance of Magneto winning the war to protect those she loved. How did you do that to someone and live with yourself?

Warren made a decision, and pushed the door open. Cadence could kick anyone's ass herself, but she wouldn't try to retaliate against Magneto. Not when the lives of those precious to her hung in the balance should she betray him. He had to do this for her - he wasn't involved in this, he had nothing to lose.

He spread his wings out and took a running leap into the air, circling above the group before coming down to try and attack Magneto. "You _monster_! How could you make her do this?"

As he wrestled with Magneto, trying to knock the older man over, he heard Cadence screaming. "You idiot! Warren, why the hell did you do this? You're so stupid! I'm going to kill you! Do you hear me? I'm going to make you into a damn feather duster!"

He felt something collide with his side, and he fell to the ground. Looking up he saw he'd been pushed over by Mystique. She smirked at him. "Come on, Feathers. I know you got more than that, why don't you give it a shot? Or what, is that your only power? Flying around and making a fool of yourself?"

"You know, Cadence, I had a feeling - I know you all too well." Warren felt himself being grabbed, and the grip was strong. He was yanked up to face Magneto, who held what looked like a syringe or a dart full of something... silver-ish. The man gave the same kind of wicked grin as Mystique, albeit less eager. "How about a quick game of Russian roulette, boy? You do know how to play, don't you?"

He heard Cadence screech, and something crashed. "Stop it, you bastard!" she yelled, desperation all too evident in her usually confident voice. There was a strangled choking noise from her; it sounded like she'd been caught by Mystique, and another sound followed that could only be the shapeshifter transforming into someone. He could hear Cadence struggling against Mystique, trying to get free and over to him. "I did what you asked, you asshole! I did what you asked _so leave him alone_!"

With that, Warren felt a pinch in his arm - the part of the arm near your shoulder, where doctors gave you booster shots when you were a kid. It burned like hell, setting his whole arm on fire inside. He shrieked and tried to push away from Magneto, succeeding in landing in a heap on the floor. He writhed in pain, it was spreading through his entire body now, and tears were flowing freely and in spectacular magnitude, staining the concrete below his face.

He could almost hear the smirk in Magneto's voice. "Now, boy, that was filled with what is known as adamantium - the purest form of it, in fact. Let's see what happens - hopefully something interesting."

All Warren could do was watch as Cadence fought with Mystique to free herself. She looked like a trapped animal, fighting for her life and trying anything. "Let me go! Let me go, you bitch!"

Mystique had transformed herself into Kurt. All Warren could think was that Cadence wasn't going to be able to fight her now. An evil smile stretched across her face, a horrible expression that looked so awfully unnatural on Kurt's delicate features. "Vhat is ze matter, _Dämonin_?" She had Kurt's voice too, and that was something Kurt would never say to Cadence, not in that tone. "I thought you vanted to give me another symbol of Gabriel." The lips curled back to reveal dangerously pointed teeth, and before Cadence or even Warren could see it, Mystique had taken her knee to Cadence's stomach.

More tears formed in Warren's eyes, and he felt his chest heaving laboriously with silent sobs. This was terrible. It was one thing to watch Cadence battle it out against Mystique, the real Mystique; he knew she was aggressive by nature, and seeing her being hurt by Mystique's true form would be better than... _this_. He didn't want her hurt in any kind of way, but Mystique was a coward. She was hiding behind Kurt's face, using his appearance to attack Cadence. It was heart-rending to see what looked to be Kurt hurting her. He knew of course it wasn't Kurt, but using the visage of someone's best friend to basically beat them up was an act of cowardice and monstrosity.

"Oh God!" Cadence cried out and fell to her knees, barely able to catch herself. She looked like she was about to pass out any minute, and her breathing was even worse. "_You fucking bitch_!" she shouted, without even looking up at Mystique. She didn't need to; her face alone, without eye contact, was enough to express how she felt about the other woman. "_Get his face off your fucking ugly body_! _How dare you_!"

And then there was Luna, who had been staring at the scene with wide hazel eyes and suddenly caught sight of the communicator on Cadence's jacket. It bore the symbol of the X-Men. The woman's eyes narrowed to barely slits, and her lips drew back. "_You_! _YOU KILLED HIM_!" she screamed, running at Cadence and knocking her down all the way. "Tell me where he is! Where is he?"

Cadence was struggling to just stay awake. She looked like she was just going to faint dead away, trying to keep Luna from just drilling her into the ground. "Who are you talking about? I didn't kill anybody! Not anybody you'd know anyway!" She flailed weakly, trying to get the attention of anybody in the room, not that they could - Warren - or would - the others - help her. "_Get this psycho offa me_!"

"Jason!" Luna hissed, her nails digging into Cadence's arms. "Jason Stryker! You killed my boyfriend! I loved him and you just killed him!"

Cadence had given up struggling, but now she was coughing like she could barely breathe. "I didn't do anything, I don't know the guy, and I'm pretty sure he's still alive - somewhere!"

"_Liar, you killed my Jason_!" **(1)** She raised a hand and was about to rake it across Cadence's face before there was a sharp call from Magneto.

"Coma! Don't bother with her. Trust me, you will have your revenge." He snapped his fingers. "Get up. Knock this one out - she'll go soon, she doesn't need help."

Luna looked from Magneto down to Cadence, and snarled at the other woman. She got up however, and walked over to where Warren was lying.

Warren's head was swimming by this time, and the soreness and flame embedded in his body had gotten worse. It was almost unbearable now, and the sweet bliss of blacking out was looking more and more like an act of mercy than malice. He could barely see Luna, let alone focus on her. He let out what sounded to him was a pitiful whimper, and closed his eyes.

He felt a sweep of fingers across his forehead, and his whole body relaxed. Almost immediately, his world went completely black.

* * *

><p>Magneto looked at the unconscious Warren, smirking as Luna used him as leverage to stand. He shook his head, the smirk dropping from his face. He looked down at the black-haired mutant who also lie on the ground, still conscious but barely so. "Tsk, tsk, really, Cady. I thought you knew better than to stab <em>me<em> in the back by now."

He turned on his heel and strolled quite leisurely out of the building with Luna at his side and Mystique following.

Cadence felt so weak, and she tried to crawl over to Warren. She was more worried about him than anything else. Magneto had injected him with - what had he said that was? _Pure_ adamantium? That couldn't be good. Who knew what it was doing to him, even right now? But she couldn't. She could hardly move, and her body was heavy. Her eyes kept closing; she was going to pass out soon... like, _now_.

Before her eyes closed, she managed to fumble for her communicator and press the homing button.

"Demon to Claws... Demon... Logan, help... Demon and Angel... oh God... help..."

* * *

><p><strong>(1) - Slight shout out to my Friday the 13th story "The Ties They Cannot Sever" - Counselor Sabrina has begun to refer to a young Jason Voorhees as "my Jason" because they are best friends.<strong>

**O. M. G.**

**... Was any of that what you guys were expecting? Yes? No? Maybe so?**

**Well... Magneto's a bastard. Mystique is a bitch.**

**I'm not sure what to think of Cady at the moment, and Warren... oh God... POOR WARREEEEEEEEN. WHY DID I DO THIS TO YOU~ I'M SO SORRYYYYYYY~**

**So. What's the adamantium going to do to Warren? Did Logan pick up his communicator in time to hear Cadence's message? How in the HOLY WORLD did this Luna/Coma chick known Jason Stryker, and why does she think he's dead?**

**Logan: Um, probably because that's what the end of the second movie kind of suggested there, champ.**

**Me: SHUT UP OR I'LL LOCK YOU IN A LITTER BOX! *shoves him out of the picture***

**Stay tuned for the next exciting segment, boys and girls! Reviews are loved as always, and especially now that the action is really beginning! Thanks! ^^**


	24. Chapter 24

**BUM BUM BUMMMMM.**

**OK so... I promised myself I would NOT lose my angel/Warren necklace, with the wing... and I kinda sorta did. So I don't have as much inspiration as usual. BUT I WILL find it. XD**

**Oh yeah and... I drew some pics of Warren and Cadence, and one of just Warren - while I was in the car with my boyfriend. |D He liked it though. I drew some as illustrations and concept pics for the story the night before last. If anyone wants to see them (even though half of them are on notebook paper and drawn with pen), I can put them up on my deviantArt and give y'all a link. I'm not super happy with them, 'cause apparently I SUCK at drawing wings. But I'm hoping they'll get better, once I find my pencil, an eraser, and my super special awesome manga pens for outlining... or I could just use the funky pen I got at Office Max. I love black gel pens. 8D**

**WELL. I've babbled long enough then, I'm probably killing the suspense from last chapter. So enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Sight wasn't the first thing Warren woke up to. The first thing was sound - two people conversing in quiet voices, saying things he couldn't quite make out. Were they talking about him? The next thing was touch. He was in a bed... but it wasn't his own bed. It was firmer, and it wasn't comfortable. His harness was around him now, and he was lying on his back, a thin sheet over him. He could feel his entire body, every little nerve and muscle, throbbing with constant pain. It was almost too much. Then he could smell antiseptic, the scent of medicine. Was he in the hospital? Or had someone brought him back to Xavier's? He hoped someone had gotten Cadence too... And then came taste, a disgusting metallic sensation on his tongue.<p>

Finally he was brave enough to open his eyes. His vision was extremely blurry, worse than it had been earlier in the day when Cadence woke him up. All he saw were shapes, smears of color against a white background. He shook his head, groaning in the hopes that someone might help him. He couldn't talk yet, his throat still hurt.

"Oh, he's awake. I'm coming, Warren." It was the strong but comforting voice of Dr. Hank McCoy. "What's the problem?"

"M-My eyes," he stammered, reluctant to speak. "H-Hard... to... see..."

"Ah. I understand. Now keep still, this might shock you for a few seconds, but it should help."

All of a sudden, a small amount of water hit his eyes. He flailed his hands for a minute, but then when he realized his vision was clearing up, he took a breath and blinked. When he opened his eyes, he could see Hank in front of him, dressed in the usual lab coat. "D... Doctor?"

"Well, thank God." He looked over and saw Cadence in a bed beside him, looking no better than he probably did. She reached over and managed to grasp the railing, though she couldn't actually reach him. "I thought you were never gonna come to. Warren, I was waiting for you to wake up for an hour. You _dumbass_, why did you even follow me in the first place...?"

He took a breath and swallowed a few times before trying to answer. "I was... worried about you. I didn't... want you to get hurt. You... You never leave so... I didn't think it added up..."

Cadence shook her head. "You're so stupid, Warren... why did you have to get yourself hurt for _me_?"

After a while of knowing her now, Warren knew that wasn't what she really meant; he could translate it. What she really meant was _I was so worried about you._ He blew out a breath and nodded. "I... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have but... I didn't want you to get hurt either."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, you better _never_ scare me like that again or I really _will_ make you into a feather duster, you got me?"

"Yeah, I... I get it, Cadence. So how... how are you feeling?"

"Like somebody beat me with a stick." She rubbed underneath her breasts, exhaling sharply. "Apparently Bitch Mystique bruised some ribs when she kneed me in the gut. And I have one hell of a headache. But we should be more concerned about you, didn't Magneto inject you with...? _Agh_... jog my memory, what was it that damn needle?"

"Um... it was... adamantium, I think he said."

"Well, shit." She turned her gaze to Hank. "Isn't that the same thing Claws's... you know, _claws_ are made out of?"

"Yes. You were injected with an entire syringe of that?" Hank sat down in the chair and took Warren's arm, putting two fingers to his wrist.

"Yeah. It... It really hurt, all over me. I felt like everything inside me was on fire."

"Not good. Adamantium on the skin or hair is relatively harmless... but once it enters the bloodstream or is ingested, it's not quite so harmless anymore." He withdrew his hand. "Your pulse is a bit weak. According to what I know, at least... it's going to make you very sick."

"What, are you serious?" Cadence immediately tried to sit up, then shrieked and threw an arm over her stomach. "Oh, damn it all to fuckin' hell!" she shouted as she fell back down against the pillows.

Hank frowned. "I told you not to do specifically that, Cadence. Your ribs will take at least a day to recover. And yes, I am quite serious."

"Agh, God..." She looked up, taking deep breaths. "Isn't there some kind of medicine you can give him? What counteracts adamantium?"

"Unfortunately... nothing. Well, nothing that scientists have found yet, that is. I believe the treatment is purely supportive - keep the patient comfortable until the metal has run its course through the body." He looked over at Cadence again, after having scanned the length of Warren's body. "Do you know how much was injected?"

"No... but I'll tell you this, it wasn't a little needle. It looked like it really hurt."

"Hmm." Hank looked back down at Warren, meeting his eyes this time. "Do you have any estimate of how much you were injected with?"

"I... I'm not sure... maybe about... this much?" he answered, tentatively holding his thumb and index finger apart about three inches.

"I see. I have to say, I was hoping you'd say less..." He shook his head. "Well, in that case, I'll need to find out exactly how much was put in your body. For that I'll just need a sample of-"

"Just pee in a cup for the man," Cadence called, having flung an arm over her eyes. "The sooner we get it over with the sooner we can fucking leave."

Warren felt his face heat up, and he knew he was blushing fairly hard. He tore his eyes away from Cadence and looked up at Hank. "Do you... _really_... need that...?"

Hank sighed. "Cadence, I need a _blood_ sample. That's it."

Cadence yanked her arm off her eyes and gave him a glare. "Hey! When I have to do a drug test, you always tell me I have to give a damn urine sample."

"That's because a urine drug test reveals _every_ drug that's in your system. With the blood test you usually only test for one - in this case, adamantium."

She pouted and put her arm back over her eyes. "I can't believe you don't trust me."

* * *

><p>"There's definitely quite a bit of adamantium in your system, Warren." Hank flipped a paper on his clipboard. "And also, I have some information here that I printed out from a reliable internet source about the effects of adamantium on humans and... well, at least it looks a little hopeful."<p>

"But waaaaait," Cadence whined, sitting up. "We're not totally human. We're mutants - that's, like, half-human, right?"

"Well, yes. But mutants' bodily structure is remarkably similar to humans', no matter what their mutation is. The only real difference is the presence of an extra gene for each chromosome. Besides... there was no information of the effects on mutants. There was only how the adamantium affects humans. And once it gets inside the body, it acts like a poison."

"How sick is it going to make him?" Cadence demanded, leaning forward.

Hank shook his head. "Well, it's hard to say. Effects on humans seem to be moderate to severe. Alternating fever and chills - similar to what you'd get with malaria. Apparently the fever can climb fairly high. Let's see, what else..." His eyes moved down the page. "Weakness and fatigue... slight respiratory distress..."

"Wait, 'respiratory'?" Cadence jerked her head to look at Warren. "Doesn't that mean he's going to have problems breathing?"

"Yes, it looks like it might affect his lungs and... oh." Hank's face suddenly got far more serious. "This... doesn't look good."

"What? What what _what_?" Cadence practically yelled, leaning that way from her bed. "What doesn't look good?"

"Well... this says that in humans... _in humans_... adamantium poisoning... has a 16 percent change of being fatal. That's relatively low, but..."

As Warren tried to process this himself, the fact that there was a slim chance he could die from this, he heard a sob and looked over at Cadence. She was crying, and she'd pulled her pillow over her face. To hide it? Why was she ashamed to cry in front of him? She'd done it before. "Cadence...?"

"_You idiot_!" she screamed. Even through the muffling of the pillow, he could hear how upset she was. "_Warren, you idiot_!" She clutched it tighter. "Oh God, this is _all my fault_!"

* * *

><p><strong>POOR CADENCE. POOR WARREN. POOR EVERYBODY!<strong>

**What's going to happen next? Will the adamantium affect Warren's abilities? Or will it run its course and leave him alone? After all, mutants aren't totally human. As Dr. McCoy here said, it might be unpredictable...**

**Oh yeah... and WHERE THE HELL are Kurt, Akira, and Gigi? THEY MUST COME BACK SOON.**

**And Pietro. YESSS, PIETRO, I HAVE MUCH THINGS PLANNED FOR YOU... fufufufu~**

**ALRIGHT. As usual reviews and stuff are very very welcome. :D**

**Thanks so much for reading! ^^**


	25. Chapter 25

**O to the M to the G. Like riiiiight?**

**XD Yeah, ignore me kinda... no idea what to say. I'm happy it is chapter 25!**

**Also, this one is OBSCENELY LONG as well. Longer than chappie 23. I think it's actually the longest one so far. SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME~**

**Oh yeah, ALSO. This wouldn't let me upload in a new document, so I had to erase a document for my Jason Voorhees story (which has already been posted, so it should be alright...?) and paste this into it. *sigh* So aggravating. Oh well. At least I figured out how to get this chap up, huh?**

**Hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren felt a little better once he was in his own bed again. Less anxious, and he could lay on his stomach again, which was more comfortable than trying to get any rest while on his back. Hank had let him go once all the tests had been done and once his temperature had been taken (99.0 F), probably because he could tell Warren didn't like hospital settings. Cadence had to half carry him on the way though; he'd gotten dizzy when he stood up and almost fell.<p>

She got him there safely, but she left with the promise that she'd be back in about two hours; she was just going to go see Kurt, Gigi, and Akira - and thank Logan for "finally having enough damn sense never to turn his communicator off". Before leaving she did the same thing she'd been doing all day, that brush of her lips against his cheek. Though this time, the touch wasn't as light, she pressed a little harder, and it was accompanied by her squeezing his wrist and, he saw when she pulled away, a pained look in her eyes.

He tried to get a little rest; according to the clock it was nine-thirty at night now. Okay, so if it had taken an hour to get to that building and then another hour to get back... it would have been five or so by the time they got back. So he'd been out for another four hours, in addition to the five Cadence said he'd slept earlier after training. He was still sore, too, worse than before.

About an hour after he had tried to lie down and get some sleep, he became suddenly aware of how cold it was in this room. His teeth were chattering, even, and his skin felt like ice. He was so cold, it was rattling around in his stomach and making him sick. He had to warm up, quick.

"Wh-Where's my blanket...?" he mumbled, pushing himself up to look over the edge of the bed. Bad idea, because he got dizzy again and fell off, onto the carpet. He felt his head bang lightly off the dresser and groaned, reaching up to finger what he was sure would soon be a bruise. As he did he brought his legs up, curling into a ball and moaning. "Ow... ow... _ow, ow, owwww_..."

He was about an inch away from crying when the door opened. "Warren?" It was Cadence's voice, and it was soothing for him to hear in such pain. She was here now... she'd take care of him. "Kurt and Gigi had a sign on the door that said 'Do Not Disturb', Akira was already asleep, and Logan just - oh my God, _Warren_!"

He heard her running over to him, and then felt her hand on his shoulder and the other on his lower back, and her hands were shaking. "Oh God, Warren, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I f-fell," he muttered, grateful for just her touch. Her hands were warm, and at the moment gentle, which was so unusual for her but it wasn't unwelcome at the moment. "And hit my head..."

"Oh my God. How bad is it hurt?" She had taken her hand off his back and had placed it over his chest, trying to help him up. "Come on, you gotta give me a little, babe, I can't do this myself."

"I'm trying... it's not too bad, I don't think it's bleeding."

"Geez, Warren, ever heard of the word 'cautious'?" Through combined efforts he finally felt himself on the bed again, and he immediately collapsed, not caring where his head landed as long as it was soft.

When he glanced up, he saw her shaking her head. "I guess the adamantium works faster than I thought. Is it hard to breathe?"

"N-No... I'm just cold... r-really cold... and I can't f-find my blanket." He huddled up again, shivering and wrapping his arms around himself.

"Warren, it's... it's not cold in here. It's kind of hot." He felt her hand against his, and he was glad for the warm touch again. "Looks like the chills Dr. McCoy mentioned. I should see how bad your fever is... where's your blanket?"

"I d-don't _know_," he repeated, irritated that she seemed hell-bent on making things worse instead of better. "I was looking for it, and I f-f-_fell_!"

She stood up, withdrawing her hand from his, and crossed her arms. "Well, you can't just freeze to death." Her palm was against his forehead, and just as quickly it was gone. "Well, _damn_! I stand corrected, Warren, there's no chance of _that_ happening. Fucking fever already set in."

"But I'm _cold_," he argued, grabbing his pillow and burying his face into it.

"God _damn it_, Warren, I know you're cold!" The bed vibrated, and he imagined that she'd kicked the mattress. "I'm trying to help you, what do you think I'm doing?"

He tensed up a little, and felt like pouting. "... I'm sorry..."

He heard her blow out a particularly strenuous-sounding breath. "No, no... _I'm_ sorry. That was my fault. God, _all_ this is my fault. I'm such an idiot. Let me find your blanket..."

A sudden spike of cold tore through him, and his entire body convulsed. He let out a gasp, simply because he hadn't been expecting it. His teeth clacked together again, and he resumed the fetal position he'd been in moments ago.

"Okay, okay, I think I see it. Hold on, babe." He felt her body leaning over his legs, and shivered again because, honestly, he didn't know if that was her waist or her chest, or... God forbid, something _lower_.

She withdrew and he glanced up to see her over him, sweeping the blanket over his body. "God, you're shaking like a leaf, Warren."

It was surprising to him, the tenderness with which she did this. She was careful in tucking the edges around and under him, taking special care not to cover any part of his face. And if he wasn't mistaken, her fingers hovered just a few seconds on his hip as she tucked the last loose end under him.

He wasn't complaining though. This... was the way she might treat Akira. And Warren... he'd kind of forgotten what being fussed over was like.

He had to admit, it wasn't exactly the worst feeling ever.

Cadence got to her knees by his face, and her hand stroked over his cheek; he looked straight into her eyes, somewhat mesmerized by the touch. It was so unlike her but it felt... _good_. That was, until he recognized that look in her big, emerald eyes. Guilt. Pure, heart-wrenching, soul-stabbing guilt. Little tears had formed at the edges of her eyes, but they weren't sliding down.

He was about to beg with her not to cry, he didn't like seeing her cry, but she was faster. Her hand flew to the side of his head, fingers raking against his short hair, and before he knew what was happening her lips were against his. He tried to press back, because he was somewhat enjoying the feeling, but unfortunately the fact that he'd never really had a steady girlfriend was coming back to haunt him now. The only thing his lack of experience was allowing him to do was stare wide-eyed at her, her eyes closed and quite obviously enjoying it too.

But then she pulled away fairly abruptly, and it felt like the kiss had only been a second long - though it had probably been more like five seconds. Still not spectacular, but better than one second. She didn't move her hand, and her nails grazed lightly along his scalp as she played with his hair. And she looked right into his eyes, as she had been before.

"I promise I won't let you die, Warren," she whispered, her eyes as soft as her voice. "I'll take care of you. I'll... I'll do anything. What do you need me to do for you?"

He shook his head, blinking slowly. "I don't..."

"Please. Warren." Her nails dug in a little, though they didn't break the skin. She wouldn't do that on purpose. "_What_ can I do for you? Anything, o-okay? E-Even if you think you can do it yourself..."

The guilt resurfaced in her eyes, and he felt horrible. It was his own fault that he was sick, she shouldn't be feeling bad about it. But he could see it, she believed she had done something wrong and she wanted sincerely to make up for it. She wanted him to give her _something_ to do for him, no matter how little or seemingly unimportant. It looked like she thought "I'm sorry" wasn't enough, although he would have gladly accepted it and moved on.

He nodded and blinked a few times. "I, um... I'm a little hungry, I guess."

That terribly guilty look in her eyes relaxed a little, and she smiled at him as she ran her fingers over his hair again. "Okay. I'll go make you some soup." Her lips grazed just lightly over his, and then she stood up, rubbing at his shoulder. She looked like she was reluctant to leave. "Don't you move, I will be _right back_."

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, and turned her head just a little to look at him. "You know, Warren... you kept after me. You were there even when I didn't want you to be, and then five minutes later I was grateful that you _were_ there. I let it all out with you, and you tried to make me feel better."

She opened the door, her shoulders dropping down. "Now it's my turn. If you need me I'll be here, and if there's anything you need to let out you can. You let me cry when I needed to. So if you need to cry, just do it. I won't care."

He felt himself smile at that. So all that time, everything he'd thought was useless and in vain... he'd really been getting through to her. She just never showed it. So stubborn... "I thought you still didn't trust me. What ever happened to that? Kurt said it'd take three months to earn your trust."

"I was forced slash tricked into trusting you." Her fingers were still wrapped around the knob, and they were shaking. "But that doesn't mean I can't like you too. We're friends, Warren, and... and maybe... maybe I want it to be more. Maybe _you_ want it to be more. I don't know."

"I... I do... I want this..." He took a deep breath before trying to speak again. "I know how much you've been hurt. Maybe I don't know every single little detail, but I can see it. I've been hurt a lot too. I want us to be able to help each other, and maybe... maybe that... is going to bring us together, closer than we've ever been to anyone else. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"It would be... if I could ever _completely_ trust you. I still don't trust you not to hurt me once we're together. People change, Warren. You're going to change, and I'm not going to trust any part of you that changes." She still didn't face him, but she'd stepped farther into the hall. "You're constantly going to have to renew my trust in you, show that you deserve it."

"Then I can do that. I'll do that, Cadence." He wanted so badly, nothing more than to reach out and hold her. She was upset again, but she was holding it all inside, _still_. She should just let it out, preferably in his arms and on his shoulder. He liked being able to be there for her whenever she needed it. "I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes... to prove to you that I'm different. I'm not ever going to hurt you on purpose. I can promise you that."

"Can you?" She sounded hopeful, but incredulous.

"I can. I promise... if I know what's good for me I'm not going to hurt you."

That got a giggle out of her, though lately all her laughter had been sounding bitter. "You know what's good for you, right, Warren?"

"Yes. Not getting another flowerpot to the face."

She turned her head again, and gave him the softest, sweetest smile he'd ever seen on her face. "Okay, so maybe I trust you enough to know you'd never hurt me."

"Of course. And if I ever did, I'd probably follow you around all day saying 'I'm sorry' until you get so annoyed you fling something at me anyway."

"You better never do that... _Jellyfish_."

He groaned. "Oh, why do you have to bring that out again?"

"Because you haven't fully grown a spine yet." She turned her entire body, and peeked through a crack in the doorway. "I'll be back soon. Just rest, and don't worry about _anything_. Don't you even _think_ about anything that's going to upset you."

"Okay. Thanks... for everything you're doing."

"Yeah." She closed the door, and she was gone.

Warren blew out a breath and settled down into the mattress, feeling warmer now. It was a good thing she'd helped him find his blanket...

After a moment, he groaned, wriggling around. He didn't remember this blanket ever making him so warm that he was sweating. Every part of him felt hot, and he couldn't take it. He tore the blanket off himself and flung it at the end of the bed, stretching out and whimpering at the heat.

_This must be the fever Dr. McCoy was talking about..._

* * *

><p>"Should I go now?"<p>

"Not quite yet." He glanced to the blue-skinned woman beside him, she was staring into the cloud as well. And then the redheaded girl kneeling on the floor, head up, mouth open, producing the cloud that functioned as a crystal ball-type screen.

They were looking at the boy, that blonde with the wings. It had been several hours since the injection of adamantium, and as hoped it was beginning its deadly course. Erik did so want it not to kill the boy; after all, it was better that he was alive. An ally from Xavier's on his side, and this particular boy would cause Cadence a considerable amount of pain if he left the school. He could see it in the way she interacted with him; she was so gentle, so _weak_, when she touched him, and that kiss just made his plan all the more sinister.

"Why are we even concerned with that girl anyway?" Mystique grunted, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not like she's unbelievably strong."

"She's not a physical threat, no. I can easily stop her powers with my own, with Coma..." Erik looked into the cloud, watching the angel boy thrash around in his bed, throwing the covers off, obviously uncomfortable. A moment ago he'd been content in the blanket, and now his temperature was going up, forcing him to abandon it. "But she... she is a psychological annoyance for us. She's already been talking to Gambit about his going over there. He's going to go, you know."

Mystique scoffed. "Yeah, I know that. His bags are just about packed, soon as he gets every damn deck of cards stuffed in."

"He's not much to lose, we've got stronger mutants than him on our side. But if she gets ahold of any of _them_... well, I just don't want that to happen." He looked back at the cloud screen. "Switch to Cadence James."

The redhead on the floor, Scryer, took a breath in, swallowing the cloud, and then blew it out again. This time the picture showed the black-haired young lady in the kitchen of Xavier's, violently threatening that ice-based mutant with a couple of telekinetically held knives. "Get outta here, Bobby!" she yelled. Her voice was muffled by the scrying cloud, but her eyes showed the fierce concern that filled her. "Go fuck with Piotr or something, I'm trying to take care of Warren and I don't have time for your stupid pranks! Now leave me alone before I make an ice sculpture!"

Erik turned his attention away from the cloud. "Now, she's certainly no Einstein... but her mind is dangerous. She will talk to others, manipulate them, and turn them against us. Once Gambit leaves, Pyro is going to want to follow him. And where Pyro goes, Scryer goes. That's three members we might lose already. And my own son, he's betrayed us as well."

"I see where you're going." Mystique stared into the cloud. "And this... this boy. By turning him to us, we can destroy her?"

"Destroy her mind, at least." Erik looked at the screen again, and Cadence was hunched over the counter, whatever was on the stove boiling away, and her shoulders trembled with silent sobs. "See her now. That boy is the key - she is attached to him. There are only two other people she cares about so much, but one of them is a child with little control over his powers, and the other is a circus fool who would never fight for anyone anyway."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Mystique muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Besides, the adamantium is already taking effect on the boy's system. It would be unwise to go after anyone else when he's already been injected with it - a waste of precious resources. We take this boy, Mystique... we take him, and her entire psyche falls apart. She'll be so busy plotting ways to get him back and being wrought with grief, she won't be able to think about converting anyone else to Xavier's."

"When should I go then?" Mystique asked, looking down at Scryer like she wanted to kick the girl in the face or something.

"Oh, give it a few days... let the poison reach its peak. That should be enough to weaken Miss James's resolve to the point where a pushpin of emotion into it will send it all crumbling down. A few days, then the second injection, then the boy being gracefully transferred to my possession..." A smirk crept through. "And she will _break_. This girl will be out of my hair, finally."

All of a sudden the door flew open. "Alright, are you done with my girl yet?"

Erik turned to see Pyro, stomping into the room and flicking his lighter as if threatening them. "Why, hello, Pyro. What brings you here?"

"Yeah, I just said. _Are you done with my girl_?" Pyro grabbed Scryer's arm and pulled her up. "Come on, baby, our movie starts in twenty minutes."

Scryer, surprised by his actions (though not shocked), took a deep gasp of breath in, sucking the cloud of all-seeing energy back inside her body. She smiled and latched onto Pyro's arm. "Johnny! I missed you."

"Missed you too, Kelly. Let's get going. I'm paying tickets, right?"

"And I'm getting snacks," she finished, happily following him out of the room.

Erik felt the strongest urge to roll his eyes just as Mystique had. Such disrespect, and to their master. Well, at least he'd been done making use of Scryer's powers for the moment.

"_Teenagers_," Mystique snarled, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room.

He could still hear the two down the hall, laughing and presumably kissing each other. Such blatant displays of affection, in public; they'd have Sabertooth running for the hills. It would probably just make Gambit laugh. Nobody was going to be getting any sleep tonight, _including_ Pyro and Scryer, because they'd be the ones keeping everyone else up.

Damn paper-thin walls. The odds were against him that both of them were screamers.

* * *

><p><strong>I would say "Poor Magneto" buuuuut...<strong>

**I'm the one who made Pyro and Scryer screamers in the first place. AND I'm the one who made the walls so damn paper-thin. WAHAHA.**

**Also...**

**ASDFGHJKL; I LOVE PYRO.**

**Did I sound like an idiot there? Sorry, my inner fangirl is showing. I love him, and Gambit, and Pietro, and Kurt, and WARREN OH GOD WARREN...**

**Speaking of Warren, POOR ANGEL BABY. Don't you just wanna hug him? Or, uh... do what Cady just did? *wink wink nudge nudge eh***

**Can you believe it? Yay for positive emotion and friendy-ness and the beginnings of blossoming romance!**

**...**

**I'm so excited. I have much plot planned. But you're just gonna have to wait and see what it all is~**

**It was fun writing in sort of Magneto's point of view. He refers to everyone but himself (and sometimes Cadence, just because) as their mutant name, whereas Warren and Cadence and everyone at Xavier's (well, save for Logan) refers to everyone as their real name. Just to show how different their views are.**

**Hope you liked! Reviews are the most awesomest thing you can give me, because they give me motivations to keep writing and helps with inspiration problems. Uh, that is, if I have any...**

**Thanks everyone! ^^**


	26. Chapter 26

**Wheeee~**

**This chapter was fun to write too. Defintely some fighting scenes coming up, thanks to damn MAGNETO IT'S ALL HIS FAULT I SWEAR JUST BECAUSE I'M THE WRITER THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT MY FAULT. But before fighting, there must be angst. Why? Because... I said so. Poor Warren AND poor Cadence. Y'know, Magneto was right about Warren leaving... it will affect her... but HOW?**

**... What? You think I'm going to tell you NOW? Hahahahahaha no you'll have to wait and see and read and YAAAAAAY.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"<em>Your hair is dancing in the wind<em>

_Your eyes are burning up my skin_

_And I'm so happy when I see_

_That you are smiling back at me_

_You're leaving burn marks on the ground_

_Thank You, God, for what I've found_

_I don't know how, I don't know why_

_But you're my angel in the night_

_You are my light in the dark_

_You are the beating in my heart_

_Let me hold you now, just like days_

_Before you start to cry_

_You are my light in the dark_

_You are the beating in my heart_

_But that is not enough_

_Will I ever be by your side?_..."

Cadence's voice tapered off as she gently pulled the thermometer from Warren's mouth, though he seemed reluctant to let go of it. Once she got it out she looked down at him and noticed his tongue poke out and run over his bottom lip. Shit, he probably needed a drink or something. She'd have to go get that soon.

"How bad is it?" he asked, before clamping his mouth shut and coughing a few times. His voice was raspy, and he sounded like he was completely out of it.

She gasped and covered her mouth as she looked at the screen on the thermometer. "Oh my God..."

"W-What?" He tried to raise his head to look at what she was looking at. "Did it go up?"

Cadence lowered the thermometer as she ran her fingers over his forehead and back into his hair. "Warren, it's almost _104_. This is dangerous, we should go down to Dr. McCoy."

"Uhhhhnhhh. Don't want to move." He dropped his head back down. "Can you get me some water? That might help."

"Yeah... I'll, uh, be right back."

"Thanks."

She stepped out of the room, then looked in at Warren to make sure he was still resting before quietly shutting the door. She let herself fall against the wall beside the door, and blew out a breath. This was horrible.

How could she have been so ignorant that she hadn't noticed him following her two days ago? He would have been in the air, sure, but hell! Logan's damn helmet, it was way too big for her but he'd insisted she wear it if she was taking "his baby". She didn't think she'd acted that suspicious that anyone would wonder what she was doing. Then again, Kurt was with Gigi planning the wedding; she hadn't seen Akira all day; and Pietro was too busy nursing the beating he'd taken from Ororo to think about anything else.

Warren had been pretty banged up too, though, she reminded herself. He'd only woken up because she told him she was leaving. She didn't want him to wake up and get worried because he didn't know where she was.

But she hadn't wanted him to follow her. Why did he have to do that?

She pounded a fist weakly against the wall. "Why are you such an _idiot_, Warren?" she mumbled, feeling tears stinging at her eyes. Seeing him this sick was something she didn't ever want to have to look at again. She barely wanted to take care of him now; not that she didn't care about him, but it hurt her to know he was in so much pain, and it was all her fault for being stupid enough to tell him she was "running an errand". Of course he was going to be curious.

She pressed her wrist to her eyes, taking in gulps of air to prevent herself from crying. She couldn't cry, not now; not when she was supposed to be strong for Warren. "You idiot," she sobbed. "You don't know what's good for you. Why do you have to care so fucking much? If I were you, even I wouldn't care that much about me... so why do _you_ care, when all caring about me does is get you hurt?"

She slid down the wall and let her head fall down, her forehead landing on her arms. She'd never been this worried in her life... not even when Jean turned into Phoenix. That wasn't concern, that was fear, the feeling of somehow knowing one of her best friends was never going to be the same. This was why she hated change so much. It always brought pain to somebody, whether the change was good or bad. This was fear too, but it was second to the concern of if Warren was even going to make it through this.

"Cadence? Are you alright?"

She managed to drag her head up to look at Hank. "Yeah, yeah. What's the matter? Is something else wrong?"

"No, not exactly _wrong_..." He shook his head. "I'd like you to come down to the clinic for a moment. I need to show you something about Warren's blood sample."

"You looked at it some more?"

"Yes. Please, come with me."

"Okay, okay, hold on." She struggled to her feet, and opened Warren's door just a little. "Warren? Are you asleep?"

He'd been on his side, covered up to the waist in his blanket, but now it was off his body completely. The fever must have reared its ugly head again. He rolled over now. "Hmhmm?"

It broke her heart to see him so worn and confused; he was usually so friendly, energetic, charmingly shy. "Sorry for waking you up, Warren," she said softly. "I'm going with Dr. McCoy for a few minutes. So it looks like I won't be able to get you water for about ten minutes, maybe. Is that okay?"

He blinked those watery blue eyes at her a few times, then closed them and buried the front of his face in the pillow. "Mhmm... okay. I'm going to sleep now."

"Okay. I should be back soon, don't do anything too exciting without me." She laughed weakly at her own pathetic attempt at a joke, but Warren was either ignoring her (as any sane person would) or was too tired to pay attention to anything but the inside of his eyelids. "... Alright, babe, bye."

* * *

><p>"Now, Magneto?"<p>

"Yes, now would be good. Go. You know who you're going to turn into, right?"

"Do you even have to ask?" In the blink of an eye, Mystique's blue-skinned, orange-haired, dark-eyed, and bare form was replaced by flowing black hair, pale flesh, piercing green eyes, and a Mayday Parade t-shirt with blue jeans. "Well, my, my, don't I feel special?"

"You look just like the girl." Erik nodded his approval and fingered a strand of her new hair. "Oh Cadence James, she infuriates me. Hurry and leave now, to Xavier's, before I become angry and mistake you for the real thing. Now."

"Of course." She hurried out of the room and the building.

The trip wasn't long, and soon she stood at Xavier's Institute. She was inside without much hassle, and now she just had to find the boy's room. She knew where it was... now how to get there from here?

"Cady, _meine Dämon_?"

She quickly turned and there was the Nightcrawler, the one she'd turned into during the last fight to stop the real Cadence. His arm was wrapped around the waist of some blonde - the Keyboard, wasn't she? "Uh..."

"Dr. McCoy said he vas going to bring you down to ze hospital ving to talk about some'sing." Nightcrawler frowned. "I didn't think it vas going to be zat quick."

She scoffed, hurriedly thinking up an excuse. "Yeah, well... I'm done _now_. And I was heading up to see, um... you, uh, you know..."

"Oh, _Engel_." He nodded, and she swore he was smiling just a little. "You two are getting close, you know. I hope he recovers soon, you really should-"

"Yeah yeah, I have to get to him. Fast, I mean. Gotta go, see you later."

With that she hurried off, probably leaving the two confused behind her. Oh well, that wasn't her concern.

She managed to slip past everyone else and avoid anyone who might want to question her. At last she reached the dorm area, and an artistically painted pair of angel wings on the door signified that this was the right room. This was where the Angel was.

She pushed the door open. "Angel?" she called in a half singsong, half sultry voice, mimicking Cadence's tone in this situation. "Are you awake?"

He was lying on his side, holding his blanket over his body. As she walked closer she saw that sweat pasted his short, fine blonde hair to his forehead, and he was shivering so hard the bed was almost shaking along with him. And as soon as he heard what he knew to be Cadence's voice (even though it wasn't her speaking), his head raised a little to look up. "C-Cadence? Mmnhhh... that didn't take as long as I thought... do you have my water?"

"No, not yet." She eased herself onto the bed, right by his waist, and pulled the blanket down off his chest while reaching into her back pocket where she'd stored the needle. "But I do have _something_ for you."

"Hmm? What's that?" He was in a haze, and looked so weak. Perfect prey.

She pulled the syringe full of liquid adamantium out and displayed it to him. "I brought this."

"What _is_ it?" he mumbled, sounding like a whiny child.

"It's, um... some medicine... Dr. McCoy wanted me to give you. He says he thinks it'll, uh... help you feel better."

"Do I swallow it?"

"No, I'm going to inject it in."

He huffed, but it was a resigned sort of sound. "Do I _have_ to?" he asked, once again sounding like a spoiled kid.

"Yes, you have to. Now, calm down... and think of something really... really... _nice_!" She plunged the needle into his shoulder, the opposite of where the first shot had been administered.

He let out a high-pitched wail, though he didn't have the strength to maintain it for long. He started coughing about two seconds in, and then he began to cry. He curled up and hugged himself, shrieking. "Make it stop! It hurts! Make it _stooop_!"

"Shh, now. Take your medicine like a big boy, Angel." The fluid drained from the syringe and into his bloodstream, as he stopped screaming and heavy breaths filled the role. "That's it..." She withdrew the needle from his skin, and cupped his cheek in her hand. As she pulled her fingers away, they turned blue again as she morphed back from Cadence's form. "Nice and easy. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

As she looked, the leather harness that held Angel's wings against his back was shredded to small pieces when his wings changed from soft feathers to razor-sharp sheets of adamantium. His skin also changed a little, adopting just the slightest tint of metallic blue. And when he looked up at her, little shots of blood were running through the whites of his eyes. "I... what... where's C-Cadence?"

"Gone." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up, giving a sadistic grin. "Now, Magneto wanted me to give you a message."

He looked dizzy, as if he was trying to focus on her. "What... what?"

"He wants you to come join our side of the war." She ran her hand down his arm, and chuckled darkly when he shivered violently at the touch. How adorable, he was still a virgin. "What do you say?"

He'd been distracted by her touching him, but when he heard this he immediately pulled away. The look on his face displayed pure disbelief and disgust at the request. "No... no! I would never do that! I can't betray these people, they're my family!"

"Then I'd think you would want to protect them. Magneto said that if you refuse... he is going to send Juggernaut - big lovable brute, you'll like him - to kill some brat called Snake."

As she expected, that twisted his facial expression from disgust straight into horror, like he'd just seen the most gruesome part of a _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ movie. "Wh-_What_?" His new metal wings shot out on either side of him. "You can't kill Akira! He's just a kid! He has nothing to do with this, he's not even ten!"

"So you don't want him killed? Then I suggest you come with us. Come on." She put her hand on his cheek and smirked. "It won't be so bad. And hey - if Magneto doesn't care, you might not even have to go into any battles."

He looked from her to the door, and the sharp wings fell down a little, folding as much as metal could fold. "If... If I go... will... you're not going to hurt Akira?"

"That's what Magneto said."

"And... Cadence? What about her? She's not going to get hurt, is she?"

"Look." She put her hands on her hips. "Do you want to save the brat or do you want to get them both killed? Quit while you're ahead and just come on already."

He bit his lips, then sighed. "O... Okay. I'll come, but only if you swear you're not going to lay a finger on Akira."

"Magneto doesn't break promises, Angel." She walked over to the window, throwing the curtains open. "I say we go this way."

"And... and would you not call me that anymore?" he asked as he walked to join her.

"Well, if we don't call you that, what are we going to call you?"

He shrugged. "I... don't know. I'll think of something. But this..." The wings retracted into his back and, surprised, he quickly forced them back out again. "I don't... feel like Angel. This feels like someone else... not me."

"Fine, I don't think Magneto could care less what your name is. Now let's get going." She gestured to the window. "I insist, you first."

He nodded, then looked back at the door. "... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he said quietly, before running at the window, jumping through it, and taking flight.

* * *

><p>"So... what you're saying is he's got freak blood?"<p>

Hank barely supressed the urge to roll his eyes as Cadence was looking, a bit too intently, through the microscope at the sample of Warren's blood he'd put on the slide. "No, Cadence, that is _not_ what I'm saying."

"You just said he was super-healing himself! If that's not freak blood, I don't know what is! You know, besides the mythical undead. Kurt swears vampires don't exist, what do you think?"

"I _think_ you should get away from my microscope now before you end up breaking it." He took her by the shoulder and pried her away. "Cadence, what I'm saying is that Warren's body is taking this a bit better than it should be. His blood has healing abilities similar to those of Logan's system. Not quite as strong, but enough to actually keep him from dying from this adamantium. Do you know why it is that Logan doesn't wind up here whenever he uses his powers?"

"Speed healing." She shrugged. "He tells anybody who asks. That's why his fingers aren't all shredded to hell when the claws come out."

"Exactly. And what's happening with Warren is similar - his blood is probably the reason he wasn't severely injured when the wings grew out."

"But they're feathers. How the hell would that kill someone?"

"Cadence. I know you've never been fond of science, but try to look at it this way." He pushed the microscope further away, as she was going for it again. "Any kind of manifestation under the skin is, in a way, similar to cancer. It grows rapidly, and wouldn't anyone be in critical danger if a tumor suddenly burst from the body? Even if it was soft tissue?"

"... Yeah... I guess so. Makes sense." She snapped her fingers. "Hey, is that what mighta happened if that suspicious doctor didn't remove that weird-lookin' thing from my dad's lungs? 'Cause I really woulda enjoyed that, especially if it happened right before-"

"_Cadence_."

"Right. Sorry. Focusing, continue."

"Look, anything coming from within the body is going to cause significant bleeding. Even _if_ it was just feathers, how much force do you think those wings had to use to slice the skin open from the inside?"

She paled, two fingers reaching up to touch her lip. "Yikeski... now I see where you're going with this."

"Right. And Warren's blood kept any significant bleeding from happening when they began to grow. There must have been blood, of course, but it wasn't in such great volume that he would have needed to be admitted to a hospital. It wouldn't have caused enough blood loss to, say, put him in a coma. He may have blacked out. But the healing agents in his blood, whatever they are, saved his life then, and they're doing it now too. He's still sick, but his blood will prevent the adamantium from killing him. It's fighting back and basically dissolving whatever adamantium it can, though it can't get rid of it completely - it can only corrode about half of the particle."

"So he's not... he's not going to die?" she asked hopefully, a sudden smile breaking onto her face. She hadn't smiled in days, it felt good to smile again.

"It doesn't seem at all likely. From what I can tell, a second injection could possibly interfere with his genes, but there's not really much chance of that happening."

"Yeah, unless Magneto finds a way to 'penetrate our inner sanctum'," she grinned. "Oh God, that's such good news, I'll go tell Warren. This nightmare is going to be over soon and we can all just-"

All of a sudden, a blaring alarm rang out. "Broken window," a computerized female voice announced. "Second floor. Room 17. Proceed with caution."

"I see Stormy finally sprang for the security system," Cadence called dryly over the noise. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, room 17? Oh God, that's Warren's room...!" Her eyes changed again, steeling. "He _wouldn't_..."

Before either of them could say anything more, they were rushing upstairs to Warren's room. By the time they got there, so had Logan and Ororo. The door to the room was open, and they were standing inside. Cadence and Hank ran inside, and Cadence immediately saw that the bed was empty and the window broken. A small, metal something lie on the bed.

She moved forward and looked at it. It looked almost like a part of a wing, if the wings had been made of metal. The first time Magneto had injected Warren flashed through her mind, and then what she and Hank had just been talking about.

"_... A second injection could possibly interfere with his genes..."_

"_... Oh God, that's Warren's room... he wouldn't..."_

She dropped to her knees, staring at the metal shard and barely able to catch her breath.

"He would..."

* * *

><p><strong>OH TEH NOEEEEEES! What's gonna happen now?<strong>

**... Well, don't look at ME. I have no idea... kukuku~**

**The song Cady sang to Warren in the beginning is called "Angel in the Night" (can you people tell I'm looking for songs that reference angels? XD I'm pathetic) and it's by a band called Basshunter. They're Swedish. *swoon* Oh how I love foreign accents... YOU MUST LISTEN TO IT.**

**J/K, you don't HAVE to. But eventually I'll make a vid with it... which reminds me I still have to get the first promo/trailer thingy up. I've never watched the movie I used Cadence from, but my cousin told me there's a part where the girl is in a graveyard and someone says "You're not half as strong as me" and then she says "Well are you one TENTH as pissed off as I am?" so hopefully I can get that clip. That'd be SO something Cady would say... HAHAHA.**

**OK so... reviews are loved and appreciated and all that jazz. AND YOU GUYS ARE ALL LOVED!**

**Warren: ?_?**

**Me: What? I thought they might need to hear that. Bye everybody, my loves!**

**Warren: Ok, NOW you're going overboard...**

**Me: ... OH WELL. Thanks for reading and reviewing! ^^**


	27. Chapter 27

**Haha, sorry it's been a little while. Funny story, I only got one review last chapter... (Thanks Echo. XD)**

**Oh well. Maybe this chapter is better? I dunno.**

**OMG! I found my Angel necklace. But then the chain broke... but no worries, I've got it right here next to me. I touch it if I need inspiration. :D Yes, I'm a weirdo... leave me alone... ToT**

**Hope you all like this chappie yay!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Cadence just stared at the open window and the metal feather for a moment. Logan touched her shoulder, trying to pull her up. "Demon..."<p>

"Fuck!" Desperately she grabbed at her chest for the communicator, and pressed the button down. "Demon to Angel! Demon to Angel! Fuck it, _respond_!"

"Demon, he's not going to answer you," Logan insisted, attempting once more to get her off the ground.

To everyone's surprise, there was a crackle of static over the speaker. Someone cleared their throat, and then a voice came through. "Angel?" It did sound like Warren, but... then again, it _didn't_ sound like him. Like some kind of icy quality had suddenly been infused into his voice. "Angel is gone. The only one here is Archangel."

With that, there was a disturbing smashing noise, like someone had crushed the device on the other end under their foot.

"_Warren_!" Cadence ripped the communicator off her shirt and shook it. "You pick back up right now! Don't you dare! I can't go through this, Warren! You fucking idiot, _pick it back up now or I'll fucking kill you_!"

"Somebody broke it." Logan snatched her communicator from her. "What do you make of this, Ororo?"

Ororo took the communicator from Logan and just stared into the speaker. "I think that was pretty self-explanatory, Logan. Warren's left, and he's not on our side anymore."

Meanwhile Cadence had picked up the metal feather and was examining it, eyes wide and burning with saline. While nobody was paying attention to her, she raised the shard and swiped it across her wrist once, painting a thin slice in her skin and drawing rapid blood. The scream that followed wasn't from that razor stabbing her skin, but the invisible one that had just stabbed her heart. It was an awful scream to hear, pure agony and the sound of someone beginning to die inside.

Hank was the first one to see what had happened, and he ran over. "Cadence!" he reprimanded, shocked, as he grabbed the metal from her. She rarely ever hurt herself like that; even when she first came here, her self-inflicted abuse hadn't been frequent. Once or twice a month, before he'd helped her. She hadn't done this kind of thing for the past almost five years. "What did you do that for?"

"_He's gone_!" she cried, sounding like it was hurting her throat just to get the words by her lips. "Why did he do this to me?"

* * *

><p>"Just all of a sudden?" Kurt looked down at Cadence lying in the hospital bed, her wrist slashed with a fairly deep cut that Hank was beginning to bandage. "But <em>Engel<em>, he... he vanted to help us. He vas fitting in so vell here..."

Gigi squeezed Kurt's arm, where her arms were currently wrapped around; she was afraid, he could tell, she was beyond terrified. "Why would he just leave? I mean... he just became a part of the X-Men, didn't he?"

"Und he vas sick besides zat. How could he get enough strength to fly out ze vindow?" Kurt looked down at his friend. "Cady, didn't you say he could barely stand up, let alone stretch his vings out?"

"Warren," she sobbed. "Warren... come back... _Warreeeen_..."

"She's not going to carry on a real conversation," Hank sighed. "That's all she's been saying since we discovered he'd left."

"Zis is awful... oh _meine Dämon_..." Kurt shook his head as Gigi's grip tightened considerably, and he rubbed her back lightly. "He's really just... gone?"

"And we have reason to believe that Magneto carried out a second injection of the adamantium," Hank added, tying up the bandage on Cadence's wrist and leaning back. "Although I have no idea how he might have... wait. Could it... have been Mystique? Perhaps she disguised herself as someone else and slipped in unnoticed?"

Kurt's eyes suddenly shone with realization. "Oh, _mein Gott_... I didn't think zat Cady vas acting herself..."

"You saw her?"

"_Ja_, at least... I-I _think_ so..."

All of a sudden the door opened and Pietro came in, hurrying to Cadence's bedside. He knelt down just a little, looking at her with big brown eyes. "Cady, are you okay? I heard you were in the hospital, I didn't know what to think, I-"

"_Warren_!" She threw her arms around him and was trying to pull him down toward her lips. "Warren, you came back! Oh you idiot, I'm going to beat you until you can't move but I'm so glad you're _back_!"

"W-Whoa!" Pietro grabbed her arms and disentangled himself, taking a step back. "C-Cadence, it's not... it's me, Pietro, remember? I'm not Warren. I mean, just because I look like him..."

She buried her face in her hands, roughly turning over onto her side. She let out a long wail and then proceeded to ignore all further attempts at conversing with her.

Logan and Ororo had followed Pietro in, and Ororo was holding a DVD. She showed it to Hank. "This is our video surveillance of the hall outside Warren's room. You were talking with Cadence for a while, right? What time did you take her down here?"

"Oh, my... well..." Hank shook his head, blinking a few times. "I suppose it was about eleven, maybe twelve minutes before the alarm rang."

"So... around one-thirteen?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Right." Ororo walked over to the computer and inserted the DVD into the proper drive. "Well, watch this. It's from one-twenty this afternoon."

The surveillance footage came up on the screen, and it showed, predictably, the hallway right outside Warren's door, and Leslee Rae's was visible as well, on the other side. As everyone watched, a figure that anybody would tell you was Cadence walked up to the door, opened it, and peeked in.

"That's impossible," Hank commented, leaning forward, wide-eyed, to inspect the video and the recorded timeframe. "At this time, she was down here with me looking at Warren's blood samples and arguing with me about his 'freak blood', as she so eloquently puts it."

"So it's true zen," Kurt spoke up. "Dr. McCoy, you must be right zat it vas _Mystique_. If Cady vas vith you, she could not have been vith _Engel_ at ze same time, zat is not her ability." He pointed at the girl on screen. "Und zat is not even ze Mayday Parade shirt she owns, hers is different! _Ach_... I should have noticed..." He shook his head. "Vhat kind of person cannot tell his best friend from an imposter...?"

"That was _my_ fault, Kurt..." Gigi laid her head on his shoulder. "I kept asking you questions and being distracting and... oh, I shouldn't have even _planned_ to pick out my dress today..."

"Shh, shh, _liebling_." Kurt wrapped his arms around her and held her to him tightly. "_Es ist in ordnung_. Zis is not your fault."

"It's not really anybody's _fault_," Ororo sighed. "But the question is... why would Mystique, and by extension Magneto, care about bringing Warren to their side? Someone speak up if I'm wrong, but I don't see what they've got to gain. I admit his powers are impressive, but really - there are others he could have chosen who would have given him more of an upper hand. Like Rex, or... even Giovanni."

"I got a theory." Logan stepped forward and took a seat next to Cadence's bed, touching her shoulder. "We all know our Demon here, she's a bitch, right?"

There were murmurs of "Oh no, that's not..." but then they were followed by an agreement of, "Well..." and nervous facial expressions.

"Exactly. _Duh_." Logan withdrew his hand. "And, um... let's not lie here. She trusts Warren quite a bit - faster, I think, than she's ever trusted anybody else except for Jean."

Everyone nodded almost simultaneously, eyes instantly becoming downcast at the mention of their former teammate and friend.

"Hell, I know she gets mad at him - who _doesn't_ she ever get mad at, I mean really? But seriously, guys... there's something _there_, you know?" He began to finger through her hair, and everybody heard him take a breath before he continued talking.

"I understand what you're getting at," Ororo answered. "But what would Magneto have to gain by... well, doing _this_ to Cadence?"

Logan shrugged. "Hey, your guess is as good as mine. Last thing I knew he wanted me for his twisted... uh... twisted-ness."

"Wait, wait..." Ororo shook her head. "Could this have anything to do with Remy?"

"You mean Gambit?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "What does that Creole-spiced potato crisp have to do with anything?"

"Showed up today, just before lunch. Asked to become a part of our school." She crossed her arms. "I put him in the holding room until I can determine if he's sincere or not."

"We should give him a chance," Gigi murmured against Kurt's shoulder.

"Hey, hey." Logan held up a hand. "Wasn't Demon, like, in a chat room with him? She was EOTC/Faberlove666 and he was, like... Ragin_Cage24 or something."

"We didn't need their usernames." Ororo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "But thank you."

"So you _knew_ this was going on, Ororo?"

"Well, yes," she admitted, putting a hand on her hip. "She left the site up on a computer and forgot to log out."

"Oh, well that's just great!" Logan growled. "Let her chat with Gambit, IM with Mystique - hell, she can _webcam_ with the late William Stryker for all we care, huh?"

"You obviously knew as well," Ororo shot back. "Why didn't _you_ stop her?"

"Hey, I didn't have access to her account. All she did was talk about it to _me_. You, on the other hand, _you_ could have shut down her account."

"But I didn't, and now we may have Remy on our side," Ororo pointed out. "See how that works? Cadence's influence can be positive."

"Waaarreeeeeeeen," came another cry from the other side of the room.

Logan's eye twitched. "God damn it, Demon, that has _got_ to stop!"

* * *

><p><strong>German Translation (yup, just ONE)<strong>

**es ist in ordnung = it's fine**

**(Oh and the reason why "Mystique" is in italics is because that word's the same in German...)**

**... OK, is it just me, or did Cadence being all depressed suddenly get HILARIOUS by the end of the chapter? Maybe it was Logan's last comment there...**

**Poor Cady. Oh God, poor WARREN.**

**... Aw hell. Poor EVERYBODY.**

**You can has Warren next chapter? *nervous smile* I sorry! I was going to add him in after this whole spiel with Remy and all, but this was getting too long, and I was afraid attention span problems would kick in... XD Because I have a problem with that too. I have the attention span of a peanut. *looks over beside her at her Angel pendant* OOH SHINY!**

**... Well. Ahem. Reviews are loved and TREASURED... and guess what. If you leave a review, you're actually helping me to SURVIVE. That's pretty cool, right? 8D**

**Thanks for reading, hope you liked! ^^**


	28. Chapter 28

**Yay! Thanks to everyone for reviews last chappie. It warmed my little heart. 8)**

**Oh and the link for the new promo thingy is here:**

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=XN09NOtPCXk**

**Just remove the (dot) and replace it with an actual period.**

**Unfortunately the audio was disabled, so I warn you that it's not very exciting. I timed the stuff with the audio, so sorry about that. But the song I used is called "The Truth Beneath the Rose" and it's by Within Temptation, if you want to listen to it. I've seen other videos on YouTube with the same song, so I DON'T GET IT.**

**Okay, rant over. I have to get those sketches up sometime... eh.**

**Well, I hope you like! And stay tuned after the main events for some shameless self-promotion... I mean an important commercial message. :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren braced himself as his stomach rolled again, a wave of unbearable nausea ripping through him. He quickly got up on his knees and, hands clutching the sides of the toilet so hard his knuckles were almost totally white, held his head over the toilet to empty his stomach's contents for the third time. Immediately after he was done his head swam, a symptom that hadn't come with the first two episodes. His vision blurred and he felt dizzy, worse than it had been before he'd come in here two hours ago.<p>

His arms struggling to hold him up, he allowed himself to collapse against the wall again, fumbling for the now-dry cloth he'd been using to wipe his mouth each time. He managed to stand long enough to get it wet again, then his legs failed him and he fell to the floor, barely avoiding a hit to the head from the edge of the sink.

"A week," he mumbled through the damp cloth he was holding to his mouth, more tears welling up in his eyes. He'd been crying earlier, each time after he threw up, and he could still feel the stiff tracks of saline down his cheeks, like a mask, but he couldn't help crying even more. "I've been sick for a _week_!" he shouted, leaning his head back. He wasn't really shouting at anyone in particular, there was nobody else; talking to the ceiling, maybe.

His headache got worse, and he spread out on the floor, lying on his back and relishing the cold tile against his skin. He'd discovered shortly after he got here that with his new wings, he could draw them back into his skin. He didn't need a harness, and he could sleep on his back. But that didn't mean he was getting much sleep. He was still sick, probably from the adamantium, and a second shot certainly didn't help his symptoms. The fact that he could usually get up and walk around was a sign of slight improvement, but the fact that he couldn't eat anything without his stomach retaliating in protest wasn't.

He couldn't ever remember being this sick. He could recall the times when he'd stayed home from school as a kid, but he couldn't remember ever feeling this bad before. When he'd been sick and had to stay home, it was pretty much just the regular childhood illnesses. Colds, flu, things like that. But even when he was younger and lying in bed, with a fever and vomiting, there was no way his stomach had ever hurt _this_ bad. At least he could stay in bed with the flu, but now if he knew he had to be sick, he had to stay in the bathroom. He would get sick four times in one episode, and when that happened it was usually twice a day; if he only threw up twice, then it might be three or four times a day.

And he was _hot_. His fever had never quite cooled off enough to leave him comfortable. He wasn't wavering between hot and cold, it was just hot now. He'd taken his own temperature a few times, and his fever hadn't gone above 103.7, last time he checked, but it never went down enough to make him feel much better.

He wished he could go back to Xavier's. Maybe if he hadn't left he wouldn't be facing this alone; here, nobody kept him company or made sure he was alright. There was only a girl named Kelly, who brought him food. She was nice enough, but this place was horrible compared to the school. He liked it there, where he had _friends_, where nobody turned their back on anyone else. But he couldn't go back; if he went back they'd kill Akira. He couldn't let that happen... he loved that boy, and so did Cadence, and so did Kurt. If anything happened to Akira, especially because of him, he'd never forgive himself.

A sudden fit of coughing snapped him out of his worry and back into self-pity, though deserved, he thought. This was all his fault anyway, he'd chosen to follow Cadence to Magneto, and how ironic that the very person who'd made him sick was who he had allied himself with. He wanted to mentally beat himself up for letting all of this happen, but he wasn't sure he had that kind of strength.

He missed Cadence so much. She chewed him out all the time, she yelled at him for every little thing, she used him as an emotional and sometimes physical punching bag. But... under all that, it was just because she cared about him so much. It may have started out as just her trying to give him what her personality was, but she had told him that now she really cared about him.

He missed everyone else too. He liked talking to Kurt, and it was beautiful to see how he and Gigi were together. It gave him hope... someone like Kurt, whose mutation was far more noticeable than most, found love - someone to look past the outside and see inside. He remembered Kurt had said once, Cadence was trying to accept how Warren looked with his wings... did that mean she was accepting them as a part of him? That she was going to actually like them now?

And Akira.. oh, Akira. He was the very epitome of what childhood was - silly and lovable, full of life, climbing all over everything and wanting to be held by his friends and just have fun. But then he was just... broken some of the time. He knew. He knew that even though one day mutants would be accepted in society, that day was years into the future. Warren even missed how the boy would climb up on him and tell him what he smelled like.

He missed everything about everyone. All he wanted right now was a touch, the closeness of someone else's skin next to his. Preferably, he wanted it to be Cadence. She'd taken care of him before. He wanted her to brush the back of her hand over his forehead, to click her tongue at his temperature. He wanted her lips against his, as she knelt down and placed her fingers on his hip. He wanted her to grab him and drag him down to the clinic, criticizing that didn't he care about his own health?

He just wanted her voice to tell him it'd all be okay, even if neither of them were sure.

He still didn't regret following her. If by going he had somehow saved her from _this_ fate he suffered now, he didn't regret it one bit.

* * *

><p>There were still tears running down her face, but she'd shifted position and was now on her stomach. Her arm dangled by the side of the couch and her mouth was closed. Everyone let their shoulders fall in relief, collectively letting out a breath. Maybe she was feeling better now, and would suddenly just snap back to her old self, the bitch they all knew and loved?<p>

But no. Of course not.

"_I dreamed a dream in time gone by_

_When hope was high, life worth living_

_I dreamed our bond would never die_

_I dreamed that God would be forgiving_..."

"Damn it, Demon, this is _not_ and I repeat, _not_ acceptable."

"Logan, how is that being supportive?"

"When did I say I was coming for a support group session?"

"_But still I dream he'll come to me_

_That once again we'll be together_

_But there are dreams that cannot be_

_And there are storms we cannot weather_..."

"Cady, really, is zis all you're going to do?"

"Kurt, she's losing it... she hasn't yelled in over a week."

"I know, Giselle... und to be honest vith you, is freaking me out."

"_I had a dream my life would be_

_So different from this hell I'm living_

_So different now from what it seemed_

_Now life has killed the dream I dreamed_..."

"Cadence, you're kind of scaring me..."

"_Oba-chan_, get up!"

"It's no use, kid," Logan sighed. "This is all she's been doing, day and night, for a week. Let's see, there was some Taylor Swift, some Within Temptation, Céline Dion, little bit of Ke$ha mixed in there, _all three entire Envy on the Coast albums_, virtually every body-mangling song in _Repo!_, plus the Breaking Benjamin songs 'Diary of Jane' or, in her version, 'Diary of Hate', and 'Evil Angel'. And that's just getting started, I could do this for hours. Boy, I think that last title tells us just how mad she is at Warren right now..."

"Logan, would you give her some time to grieve?" Ororo remarked, shaking her head at him with her eyes widening a little in disbelief. "Like you said, she and Warren had a good connection going. She's very upset, you can't just list all the depressing songs she's singing. It's not her fault. Did anybody drag you out of your room while you were grieving for the Professor?"

"Well, excuse me." Logan crossed his arms. "But it's just a _touch_ unnerving to come down for a glass of water at two in the morning and hear her going '_When I remember, I dismember!_' Anybody else see my point?"

At this point Cadence switched her songs.

"_Bright, cold silver moon_

_Tonight alone in my room_

_You were here just yesterday_

_Was it something I said_

_Or something I never did?_

_Or was I always in the way?_

_Could someone tell me what to say_

_To just make you stay_..."

Logan just about did a facepalm right there. "Alright. This has to stop, seriously, right now."

"I agree," Kurt spoke up. "I have never seen her like zis. She is alvays slightly angry, but it is not usually zis depressed anger."

"I know, right? This is crazy." Logan rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think I've _ever_ seen a day as long as she's been here when she hasn't yelled at anybody. I gotta tell you... it sorta creeps me out."

"I know, _ja_?"

"Hell yeah, this is beyond freaky. You know what, I gotta do something." Logan grabbed Cadence's shoulder and gave her a good shake. "Come on, Demon! You gotta snap out of this. I mean seriously, you're weirding everyone out. And really, Demon, what do you think this is going to accomplish?"

By the time he'd finished she'd stopped singing. "B-But _Warren_..."

"'But Warren' nothing!"

"But W-_Warreeeeeen_..."

"'But Warren' _nothing_, Demon! If you're so upset about it, why don't we just barge over there and take him back by force? You know, that's more your style than crying and eating ice cream with a shovel!"

Cadence looked off into empty space for a minute, then ran her wrist across her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position. "You know _what_? For once, y-you make sense, Logan." She stood up. "I'm gonna march right in there, kick his ass, drag him back here, and do it again! He deserves it for leaving us!"

"Hehe, well, maybe you don't have to kick his ass _twice_, Demon... but hey, I'm game. You know, as long as I get to punch Magneto in the face. Turning one of our own against us, who the hell does he think he is?"

"Wait, wait, _wait_. Logan, Cadence." Ororo came forward and held her arms out between the two, an attempt to separate the perfect conditions for a hurricane of unstoppable, over-the-top violence. "You two don't even have a plan. What are you going to do?"

"Make it up as we go along." Cadence grabbed her jacket from the back of the couch and slid it on over her black tank top. She put her fists on her hips, and all of a sudden she looked... normal again. She looked like her regular, easily annoyed, tough, and insane self. "Claws. Just to switch things up, I'm driving, and _you_ can hold on around _my_ waist."

"Uh, hell no. If I'm going, I'm _driving_." Logan produced the keys to his motorcycle from his pocket. "Anybody else coming?"

He received silence from Kurt and Gigi, a "Um... n-no, no..." from Pietro, an irritated glare from Ororo, and an enthusiastic grin from Akira.

"No, kid, sorry. Maybe sometime soon, huh?" He headed out into the garage, pulling Cadence along by the arm. "Come on, Demon. Looks like we got Brotherhood butt to kick."

"You said it. But, uh, Claws, one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Touch me again, and the arm comes off."

"..." Logan made the wise decision to let go of her.

* * *

><p><strong>IMPORTANT. COMMERCIAL. <em>MESSAGE<em>!**

**Yeah so... you know how Warren's an ANGEL? Well... I love any kind of romance involving angels. Soooo... call me crazy, but I am writing one. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with Warren except that my main character Anael, who is an angel (yay!), looks like him and their personalities are just a little alike. But it's also about vampires, "dark angels", and I have to admit that if I had the lead vamp, Carna, turn suddenly into a TOTAL bitch, she'd be a lot like Cady.**

**And my question is... if it became an actual book (which I don't know is likely), who would buy it or check it out from a library or something? I'm just looking to see my appeal here... 'cause if there's no appeal I won't bother trying to publish it.**

**... Not that the first chapter is even DONE yet, but hey...**

**Well, anyway, chapter notes. The first song Cadence sang was "I Dreamed a Dream" from _Les Miserables_, but she changed some parts. The second was "Tongue-Tied" by Faber Drive.**

**Warren's part was so fun to write. Why, I must ask myself, do I ENJOY writing about his pain? Well, anybody's pain, really? I dunno. Angst and drama I guess. Is much fun.**

**Me sees some drama and fighting coming up in zee near future... *shields self from metal objects***


	29. Chapter 29

**MWAHAHA. FEAR MY STORY SPAM~**

**... I've been updating either every day or every two or three days. I think the longest I've gone without updating lately was a week. ... Does this mean I have no life? WHY YES. YES IT DOES.**

**I don't care though. This IS my life. I love it! And I love Warren. :D WHY? Well... seriously. YUM. *cackles***

**Warren: *gulp* I don't even think I want to KNOW what she's thinking about doing to me...**

**Kurt: Some'sing impure, probably... knowing our _Fraü**l**ein_, zat's ze best guess.**

**Me: *chases Kurt with a candle* Come here, bitch, you're gonna get a new symbol!**

**Kurt: I told you it vas some'sing impure! *running***

**Oh yeah... and did I MENTION... we've hit page 100? Actually... *looks at her word processing program* More like page 130. I kept forgetting to tell you guys. *smacks self* I was like "Okay, don't forget to mention it in the author's notes!" ... and then I DID. Many times.**

**Okay well, hope you enjoy the chapter and the fighting action sent your way!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"Logan. Logan, can you hear me? Please tell me you're not just rushing in mindlessly! Please tell me you've got a plan."<p>

"Sure I got a plan, Ororo," Logan answered with a smirk, looking over at Cadence who had already climbed off the motorcycle. "I kick Magneto's ass, while Demon finds our little Angel Boy and knocks some sense into him."

"_That is not a plan_!"

"Are you kidding me? Best plan ever. Gotta go, Demon's not going to wait much longer."

"Logan-"

He'd turned the communicator off before his superior could finish her sentence, and gave a glance to Cadence who was staring at the building with her fists clenched. "Well, Demon, looks like there might be some hell to pay when we get back. Is he worth it?"

"You dumbass..." She tightened her fists so hard her nails were probably digging into her palms. "You should know that answer, Claws."

He nodded almost imperceptibly. "Right... shall we get going? No sneaking in or anything?"

She scoffed, but she was smiling. "Have you _met_ me, Claws? Sneaking in is... so not my style."

"So... just head-on attack?"

"You distract Magneto, I'll distract Mystique until I find out where Warren is."

"How are you gonna figure it out?"

"There are limited rooms, duh. He's gotta be in one of them, not gonna be hard to investigate."

"That'll take some time, Demon."

"You take over kicking everyone's collective ass once I leave. I know you can do it, Claws. Don't you let me down now."

"Gotcha. So... now?"

"Now!"

They both burst in the doors to find Magneto and Mystique standing before a kneeling girl who was breathing out a cloud of something. "Check on Cadence James again," he was saying to the girl, who immediately took a breath, sucking the cloud in, and immediately blew it out again.

Cadence snarled, glaring at the magnetic master's back. He had a spy and was using this girl against _her_? Logan barely kept her from just going at him, grabbing her arm.

"Wait..." Mystique commented. "She's with the Wolverine, and doesn't that building look like..."

"Happy birthday, you fuckers, brought ya a present!" Cadence broke free of Logan's hand and ran forward, spinning around and delivering a kick to Mystique's face. "Doesn't feel so good now that you're on the other end, _does it_?"

Logan's claws ripped from his hands, and he charged Magneto. Caught off guard, the older man barely dodged in time, and Logan ended up rebounding off the wall. He quickly recovered and ran at the other mutant again, but this time Magneto was ready. He'd pulled a long staff to his aid and blocked Logan's next blow, sparks flying as metal hit metal. "Do you really think you're going to defeat me, Wolverine? You've never managed to do it before."

Logan grinned. "You know, you should keep your mouth shut." He spun around and took another strike, only to be denied again, though the actual flesh and bone of his fist managed to get a hit in, right on the bastard's jaw. He was grappling again, caught in a dead lock were neither of them had yet gained the upper hand in this battle. He kept pushing, and looked over at his friend. "How ya holdin' up, Demon?"

"Good enough!" Apparently the new bruise on Mystique's face had upset her, because she was swiping at Cadence with everything she had. Her damaged face was nigh constantly changing too, into everyone from Kurt to Logan to Ororo and in between. Cadence meanwhile was dodging almost every hit, bending over backward and even going so far as to do a flip. However when she landed from that, she was so busy trying to catch her balance that she didn't see Mystique's foot coming at her. It connected almost with the same place as before, right in between her chest and stomach.

"_Fuck_!" Cadence dropped to her knees and for a minute her vision went double and she got dizzy. She shakily got to her feet, gasping for breath, and looked up to see... "J... _Jean_?"

The false telepath smiled warmly at her, just as Jean would have done when Cadence was injured or upset. "Come on now," she said in her soft voice, that beautiful and comforting tone before she'd become Phoenix. "It doesn't have to be this way, and you know that. Just take a deep breath... relax. Why are you always so violent?"

For a moment all Cadence saw was red. Pure red, clouding her vision, exactly like the night when she'd killed Akira's parents. Desperately wanting to avoid reliving that, she tried to snap herself out of it. She didn't want to kill anyone else... not like that, caught in a tornado of rage. But when she finally blinked enough to shake the fury from her mind, she was already beating Mystique with hands and feet. "How dare you!" she screamed. She was out of it but she didn't want to stop. It was bad enough what Mystique did to everyone else, copying their bodies, but turning into Jean was unforgivable.

"Bitch! God-damned fucking whore!" With each word Cadence delivered either a punch or a kick. She could feel the anger starting to take her over again, and she didn't want that. She tried to stop. She forced herself to stand still, and looked at her opponent, wondering how Mystique was still standing with how much she was bleeding. She wasn't using Jean's face anymore, but she was staring right at Cadence which was a little creepy. It didn't look like she was focusing well; maybe she was going to give up?

Regardless, it was an opening and she had to take it. "Lights out, bitch!" She ran at the other woman and swung her leg up, hitting the side of Mystique's head hard enough to knock her out for a few minutes. She jumped over the unconscious mutant and looked over at her teammate. "How's it going, Claws?"

"Peachy, Demon, just _peachy_!" He and Magneto were basically taking turns trying to get a hit in, then dodging, then trying again. "But you better hurry, okay? I ain't sure how long I can keep this up!"

"Hurry with what?" Magneto demanded, throwing Logan backwards.

Logan shook himself off and ran at the older mutant. "Like I'd tell you!"

Cadence looked around to find where Warren might be, then suddenly noticed that redhead on the ground, trying to crawl away from the battle. If she was a spy and this crystal ball cloud thing was her power, she obviously wasn't suited for combat. Well, if Magneto didn't have any idea of privacy, she supposed she didn't either.

She flipped forward and landed in front of the girl. She grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up. "Show me Angel!"

* * *

><p>He'd managed to do something he'd never done before in his life, and had never thought about doing. His body was clearly angry at him for it, and it definitely hadn't helped his stomach any. That didn't mean he really regretted it though. It had blown away the fog in his mind, and now he had a glass bottle and a cork to amuse himself with, because really he was easily amused. Of course, if his father ever found out he'd be <em>so<em> disappointed...

Warren Worthington III was just barely immersed in the euphoric state of being drunk for the first time in his life.

It was kind of a letdown once he drank the whole bottle. After all, he wasn't going to get any drunker now, unless he went and asked John for another bottle. He wasn't going to though. This was fine for him, especially for the first time. He didn't want to get too drunk, he'd seen what that looked like and usually it was _not_ pretty.

It burned his throat on the way down at first, but the feeling did go away. Then he was stupid enough to take another sip. And then another. And eventually the burning wasn't an issue, it became more invigorating than painful. Like he'd woken up after a night with little sleep and had some coffee - basically like a blissful slap to the face. Sort of like what he imagined Cadence might do...

Wait. Why was he thinking about her now? Thanks to the alcohol he hadn't been thinking about her, or anyone at Xavier's, since he'd slipped into this stupor.

He groaned, clutching the bottle and looking through the clear glass as if some secret to life could be seen through it. "_Why_?" he complained with a strenuous exhale. He let his forehead drop down to meet the table. "Even when she's not here, _she's still here_."

He didn't have much time to continue the discussion with himself, because all of a sudden the door burst open. He snapped his head up, and he expected to see John standing there. But no - it was... _Cadence_. He looked back down at the bottle in his head. "See what I mean? _Everywhere_."

"Warren!" In an instant, she was closer, waving her arms in the general direction of the door. "Come on, we gotta go. Claws isn't going to be able to fight for much longer. Hurry up!"

However, Warren didn't feel like hurrying up, and he wasn't concerned with it at the moment. He moved slowly, getting up from his chair shakily letting go of the bottle. He focused on her face, forcing his eyes not to go any lower even though, in his currently addled mind, he _really_ wanted to. He grinned and took a few steps toward her, reaching up to cup her cheek in his hand. "Hi, baby," he said softly, leaning forward. "What are you do... doing here? Shouldn't be... you'll get hurt..."

Before he could kiss her as was his intention, she pulled away from him and stepped backward. She gave him a half-confused, half-disgusted look. "Warren... the hell... are you _drunk_?"

"_Nooooo_," he slurred, sounding as though he were offended of being accused of such a thing. When he noticed her giving him a "Look" look, he glanced down and blushed, smiling and nodding. "Y... Yeah."

"Alright. First of all: you fucking idiot, I'm going to beat you senseless. Second of all, will you come _on_ already? Claws is holding off Magneto so I could find you! The evil bastard is going to start kicking his ass soon, so you march your drunk ass right along behind me so we can go back to Xavier's!"

"Nooo." He tried to step backward, but tripped over himself and just ended up stumbling. "No way, Cady... can't go back. I can't."

When he raised his head to look at her he shrunk back at her intense, blatantly furious glare. "And why the hell _not_? Huh?"

He shook his head, feeling himself get a little dizzy, and clutched onto the nearest piece of furniture he could find, which turned out to be another table. He took a breath before trying to speak. "Bad choice. Not a good idea... not good. I gotta stay..."

His head swam even more, and all of a sudden the room was just a blur. He groaned and brought a hand to his head...

And that was the last thing he remembered before he blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo... does that mean Warren's a happy drunk or one of those drunks that just broods about how bad their life is? I dunno... but clearly he can't hold his liquor. XD<strong>

**I wonder what kind of drunk Kurt would be... he'd probably go around all grinning and holding up crosses and trying to convert people. HAHAHA Now that I've got to write... he's going to get hammered at the reception. I don't think he can hold his liquor either. D**

**Poor Warren though... what a hot mess he's become in this chapter. Warren, you know you should drink alcohol when you're sick! You've barely ever had any before this!**

**Warren: *throwing up* Y-You MADE me do it! You think I w-_wanted_ the highlight of my night to be _THIS_?**

**Me: ... Good point...**

**I LOVED writing the battle action. A nice change from romantic tension... but that WILL COME BACK SOON. Like, next chapter. XD**

**ALSO. I'm planning a quick oneshot about how Kurt and Gigi first met (you know, in Amsterdam XD) because I got into a Kurt-mood last night. Why? ... My mom rented all three X-Men movies from the library even though I just wanted X-3, and I was delighted in searching for Kurt's scenes. HAHAHA IN THE CHURCH. POOR GUY GETTING HIT BY LIGHTNING. He was so adorable, screaming 'cause he thought he was really gonna fall. But anyway, when that one's up (and I'll tell you) it'll be called "Breathe (2 A.M.)", after the song by Anna Nalick.**

**ALSO ALSO. In addition to that oneshot, I'm writing a poem addressed to Warren, written from Cadence's point of view. When that one's up, it'll be "Lips of an Angel". Yes, yes I write too many things that are inspired by songs. *pout* Well, that one's not too much, but hey, it's a song with the word "angel" in it. Can't go wrong there.**

**Thanks for reading, everyone, and reviews are loved and appreciated! And they feed my inspiration, which is the part of my body RIGHT by my liver that makes me want to write more! MWAHAHA. ^^**


	30. Chapter 30

**OMG OMG OMG CHAPTER 30.**

**... Same thing as with chapter 20, I'm super super excited. How many more chapters will there be? I don't know! So much fun!**

**Next few chaps might be a little late, I'm a bit caught up in writing my little ficlets with these two because it's fun. XD I'm horrible, I know. I need prompts to help me write. *ignore the woman behind the curtain***

**Hope you guys enjoy! Next chapter will be filled with even more romantic tension and ANGST. YES YES. :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p><em>You idiot. How could you let this happen? This is all your fault. All of it. Just like everything else.<em>

Cadence couldn't even bring herself to sit next to Warren's bed in the hospital, once they'd gotten him back to Xavier's. It had been a hassle, and Magneto had chased after them when they went outside. Logan started the bike before they even put helmets on, and she'd thanked God she was just barely able to get Warren into the sidecar before Logan sped off. After they were going off down the road and they'd determined that Magneto hadn't bothered to follow them this far, she quickly got the blonde into what she thought would be a more comfortable position, then buried her face in Logan's back. She couldn't even look at him any longer. He was in pain, he was broken, and it was all her fault.

And even now she was being a coward, standing outside the clinic against the wall and trying not to cry. She couldn't even be there by him and tell him it was going to be alright. He was still passed out, and she was trying to process her emotions. She was unbelievably angry at him right now, for leaving the school, for everything he'd ever done from the minute she met him. Not having an opinion, not moving when she slid down the banister... hiding his wings from her when she thought he'd show her... getting jealous of Pietro... not getting any sleep the day before the first Danger Room session... following her... trying to keep her safe but ending up making himself sick...

She wasn't really extremely mad, just... upset. How could he just leave like that, even with what it looked like Magneto had done to him? Someone forcibly changing something about you didn't mean you were obliged to just shift over to their loyalty. In fact, she thought it meant you should be beating the shit out of that person. Hadn't he stopped to think, before he'd gone, how it made her feel?

She didn't trust herself. Not now, not when she was so upset with him. She didn't trust herself not to just look down at him, and do something horrible because she was so frustrated. She didn't want to hurt him... she wanted to protect him. And right now that meant staying away from him.

Logan came up to her, obviously finished putting away his motorcycle. He leaned on the wall next to her. "What's on your mind, Demon? And tell me it's not knives."

She shook her head, and sighed. "I just... Warren... I was all... depressed earlier. You remember, when you were complaining about my singing. And now... all of that is gone... and it's just... anger."

"Huh." Logan nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I get that. You didn't have time to be mad earlier because you felt so betrayed. Right?"

"Yeah. And why shouldn't I have felt betrayed? He turned his back on us, Logan. Jean told me you don't _ever_ turn your back on your family."

"She was right, Demon. And, between you and me..." He glanced around the hallway, then jerked his thumb at the door. "I really don't think that's what our Angel did."

She furrowed her eyebrows together. "What are you talking about, Logan? He went and joined Magneto."

"Yeah, but something doesn't add up. You know?" He shrugged. "Maybe it's just me, but... it doesn't seem like he was all that happy about it."

"I don't get that, Logan." She shoved her hands in her pockets. "Why would he care what he did to us? He doesn't care... at least, he didn't when he was doing it. He didn't even wanna come back. He said it was a bad idea."

"That's what I'm talking about. You _know_ he really likes it here. He's practically Kurt's second best friend, and the little Kabuki munchkin loves him. Why would he say it was a bad idea to come back unless someone's pulling strings that we don't know about yet?"

She blew out a breath, looking down. "I dunno. Maybe you're right."

"_Maybe_? Demon, wake up and smell the espresso. He got _drunk_ over you. He has been here just short of four months from the time he first got here, and he's always said no to any alcohol that's been shoved his way. Call me crazy, but I think he _wanted_ to come back because he missed everyone and somebody wouldn't let him. I don't think all this was completely his choice."

Cadence looked down and closed her eyes. "I'll talk to him about it. If he ever wakes up from passing out."

* * *

><p>"<em>Cadence. Focus." The redhead's eyes followed every move her student made, and her hands were poised should the other woman lose the grip on her powers.<em>

"_I'm trying, damn it..." Every muscle in Cadence's body was tightened and locked together, arms firm by her sides as she lifted the metal box with only her mind. "It's hard..."_

"_I know it's hard, but you have to concentrate. It can't be just ninety percent focus and ten percent 'Whose lights am I going to punch out later?' You need to keep your mind clear."_

"_I... I can't do it..." With that, Cadence stumbled back and the box clattered to the ground. Now on her ass, she hung her head, putting her face in her hands. "I'm a failure as a mutant. The thing that makes me a freak, and I can't even do it **right**."_

_Jean's face contorted in concern, and she came over to kneel down by the younger girl. Putting a hand lightly on her shoulder, she forced Cadence to take her hands away from her face. "Look, Cadence. First of all, you're not a freak. I thought we told you that already, and you insist on it. Second of all, control over your powers... it's not going to come overnight, just like that. You have to work. It isn't that you can't do it. You just need to practice your control. What went wrong this time?"_

_She shook her head. "I'm still mad at Kurt."_

"_What did he do?"_

"_I don't know... he just made me mad earlier. This morning. I was trying to make breakfast for me and Akira and he, like, took over the kitchen to cook some fancy German noodles or something."_

"_And you're still mad?"_

"_Well... yeah. You know I love him like a brother, but seriously, it felt like he wasn't giving me respect this morning."_

"_I understand, and I know that feeling. But Cadence... you can't stay mad forever. You know that, right?"_

"_I know."_

"_How do you feel right now? Physically?"_

"_I... I have a headache... and my stomach hurts. And I'm tired."_

_Jean smiled. "Anger takes a lot of energy, Cadence. The sooner you stop being angry, the sooner you'll feel better, and the sooner you'll be able to concentrate."_

_Cadence took a breath, then smiled back and put her arms around Jean, feeling comforted as the other woman did the same. "Thanks, Jean. How do you always know **just** what to say?"_

_She laughed. "Years of practice."_

* * *

><p>"I know you're still upset with him, but you must go speak with him." Hank put a hand on Cadence's arm. "He needs someone right now, and frankly, it appears that I'm not going to suffice."<p>

She looked inside, seeing Warren lying on his back in the hospital bed, a position she'd rarely ever seen him in because of his wings. But she didn't see his wings now. Where were they? He didn't even have his harness. And he still looked just as sick as when he'd left, maybe worse because she wasn't sure his skin should be that color. "Why does he need _me_?"

"Cadence." She met his eyes, and saw that they were sad. "You don't know what that second shot of adamantium did to him, do you?"

"I doubt he'd tell me."

"No, he'll show you." Hank pushed the door open and stuck his head in, and out of curiosity Cadence did as well. "Warren. Wings."

Warren shifted his head before looking up slightly. "H-Huh? Oh... okay..." He rolled over onto his side, back facing them, and a whimper was heard. Almost immediately after that, a pair of wings, resembling his but made of metal, shot out of where his wings would normally be, and he flapped them a few times. "O-Ow... c-can I put them back now? Please?"

"Yes, go ahead. She'll be in soon."

"O-Okay... thank you..."

Hank pulled Cadence back out before he closed the door. "You see the problem, yes?"

She had her hand over her mouth, and was now crying. She was absolutely horrified by what had happened to his wings. They used to be beautiful, was what she thought, and then Magneto went and did _that_ to them? "Oh God," she sobbed, ducking her head down. "Why? God, why is it always the ones _I_ c-care about? First Jean and Scott and the Professor, had to go and get themselves killed... Rogue t-took the Cure and left... I get sick when I think about Kurt being shot before I even met him... and now _Warren_?" She punched the wall. "I'm some kind of bad luck magnet, people should just stay away from me!"

"Cadence." Hank took her hands to prevent her from seriously damaging the wall and/or herself. "You are _not_ bad luck. You may think that, but nobody else does. Warren _needs_ you right now. He is in a lot of pain, and I'm afraid that soon he's going to be in even more pain."

She looked up, sniffing. "M-_More_ pain?"

"Yes. He wants his own wings back, but in order for that to happen, the adamantium ones will have to be surgically removed. That will allow his wings to grow back naturally."

Her eyes widened and she tore her hands away from him. "You're going to _cut them off_? I know they're artificial but hell, isn't that going to hurt like fuck?"

"Cadence. Calm down, please. I've already spoken with Warren about it." He cast a glance into the clinic. "He wants it done, but because of the pain he wants you with him during the procedure."

"Aren't you going to knock him out or something? Or at least give him painkillers?"

"I can give him morphine, but not until afterwards. I've been doing tests with his blood during the time he's been gone; any kind of anesthesia would affect the healing factor. There's going to be a lot of blood during the operation, and if his blood can't heal him properly... I won't be able to stop the bleeding, and he'll die."

Cadence slumped against the wall again, and sucked in a breath. She looked absolutely horrified by that possibility. "I'll... I'll go... talk to him."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading guys! I really want thoughts, so PLEASE review if you read. I know summer's coming to an end, but it would mean a lot to me if you guys took a few minutes to tell me what you thought. I REALLY appreciate every review.<strong>

**See you for the next chapter soon! ^^**


	31. Chapter 31

**Ahahaha... guess I wasn't really TOO much of a liar. I mean hey, two days isn't long to wait for a chappie... I thought I wasn't gonna do it for like a week. XD I'm so lame. Guess I found a way to balance this and writing my little ficlets. Now, whether I can also write anything ELSE...**

**How long have I stayed on this X-Men slash Warren kick again? Over a month? Yeah. Probably. I think it's been like 2 months since I started this story? SO WEIRD. Longest I've ever been on a kick, I think. But do you blame me? Warren is just... GUH. He melts my brain. Gotta love the wings.**

**ANYWAY. Here's the link to my latest YouTube vid for the story, I personally think it's the best so far so I'd be really appreciative if you checked it out. :D**

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Yrqf9PRhjJc**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Cadence walked into the room, closing the door after her. Warren was still lying on his side, looking like he was trying to sleep. But it looked like he couldn't, something was hurting him. The wings, probably. That had to hurt, going in and coming out and... ouch. He wasn't used to that, obviously.<p>

She took a few steps closer, and felt tears in her eyes. He just looked so... so _broken_. This wasn't fair. He'd come to Xavier's so he could recover from all the hurt people had caused him, and he thought this was a place where he could be safe and accepted. And they'd allowed him to get hurt even more. He shouldn't still have trust in them. He should have totally resisted her, fought her so he wouldn't have to come back to the place that couldn't protect him.

"Warren...?" She looked down at him, reaching to touch his face. "Are you awake?"

She heard him swallow, and those beautiful, watery baby blue eyes stared up at her tiredly. "Yeah."

She caressed down his neck and up to his cheek, cradling it in her palm. "Hi there."

He chuckled, but in a sort of pained way, though she could see the positivity in his eyes. He was happy to see her. "Hey."

"So, uh... how you feeling?"

He nodded, sighing. "Better... except for the horrible hangover I'm probably going to have in the morning."

Before she even knew what she was doing, she'd reeled her hand back and smacked him across the face. Mortified by herself, she yanked her hand to her chest and whirled around. "I'm sorry!" she shouted, feeling tears beginning to run down her face. "_God_, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that!" She took a giant step away and hung her head, trying not to cry. "I'm so horrible..."

She heard Warren sigh and she turned back around. A red mark was forming on his cheek, but he didn't look affected by the pain. He was probably in too much pain everywhere else to worry about that. "It's alright, Cadence." His hand reached up, and his fingers twitched. "Come on, don't feel bad. Considering what I deserve, you're being _extremely_ kind."

"No!" She came to his bedside again, putting her hands on her hips. "No, I'm _not_, Warren! I'm being a bitch as usual and I'm hurting you when you're in way too much pain already! Why aren't you mad at me? I just fucking _hit_ you!"

She heard him swallow, and he slowly shook his head. "I can't... I can't get mad at you. I just can't. I don't know, okay? There was only that one time I was mad at you, but... I can't get mad at you right now."

"And why _not_?"

"Because... you're not the one who did something wrong. I did. You get mad at me, that's how it works."

"I _am_ mad, Warren, but hell... I don't know why I hit you..."

"Because you knew I deserved it. I deserve worse, for what I did."

"_You_ deserve worse? I'm being punished too, you know."

"How are _you_ being punished when _I'm_ the one who has to... get my wings... c-cut off?"

"Because it could have been worse, okay!" she shouted, turning around briefly and stomping her foot. She breathed in and turned back to face him. "You could have _died_, Warren... that would have been the last stop for you, dead, but... at least for you it would be _over_. For me it would be never-ending pain... having to live without you, that's eternal damnation..." She shook her head. "You... You can't... You can't scare me like that, okay? You've gotta stop making me think that you're going to pass out and just... never wake up."

He blew out a breath and bit his lip. She could see his fingers scraping at the sheet he lie on, so hard that his hand was shaking. He was hurting again. "Cadence, I... I was so confused... I didn't totally get what I was doing. I'm still confused... I... these..." The metallic wings projected out again, and he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut, almost as if he didn't realize he'd done that until he felt the pain. "Ah... these... ow... they're not... not me. I don't know who I am now."

She squatted down and got to his eye level, her fingertips grazing lightly over his hair, around his ear, and down to his jawline. "Sure... Sure you do. Don't... Don't you say that. You're Warren Worthington the _Third_, which is the preppiest name I've ever heard in my life... and you're... you're the most obnoxiously shy, adorable, nicest guy I've ever met. You're Angel, one of the bravest X-Men on our team. That's who you are. That hasn't changed... that hasn't _changed_."

"No... no..." He was crying now, barely audible sobs escaping and his breath coming shallowly. "No, I'm not... they called me Archangel. That's who I am now... and I don't have any other names... that's it..." His bottom lip trembled furiously, the wings retracted into his back, and he began to full-out cry, throwing his arms out to wrap around her.

Surprising her, he pulled her close and buried his face in her neck, before letting out a wail and continuing to cry into her. "I'm not brave, C-Cadence, I'm _scared_! I'm _so scared_! It's going to hurt so bad, I know it is and there isn't anything anybody can do!"

He just stayed there for a few minutes, crying in her arms, and realized that this was what he'd wanted, when he'd been at the Brotherhood. He just wanted her to come and hold him, make everything better, and now that was what she was doing. She wasn't trying to move him, or just let him go and leave. Kurt said her heart was softer to children, but now he suspected that it was soft to everybody, you just had to get past that hard, defensive exterior she'd put around it.

... Had he really done that...?

Her hand ran smoothly over his back, and her fingers flinched. This was the first time she'd touched his back without having to be mindful of his wings, and if the movement of her fingers, apprehensive and tight and slow, was anything to go by, she didn't like it. She didn't like the feeling of bare skin beneath her fingertips without having to brush against feathers on the way.

Finally, when his sobbing had died down a little, Cadence pressed her lips to the intersecting area where his cheek, neck, and ear met. After about three seconds she drew back and rested her head on top of his. "I know you're scared, Warren. But you know what? I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell Akira every time he has to go for an x-ray. Being scared doesn't mean you're not brave. The fact that you're going through with this even though you're unbelievably scared, _that's_ what makes you brave."

His hands found their way to her neck through all her hair, as he thought about what she was saying. He didn't reply, but he was still thinking about it. Maybe he _was_ brave... after all, Dr. McCoy told him that he wouldn't be able to have the benefit of being unconscious for this, and he'd still agreed to it. He wanted his real wings back, if he had to have them at all. If they were going to be there, he'd rather have the soft feathers that were constantly against his skin than the sharp metal that stung his skin every time it came out and felt even worse going back in.

"Warren." Her hands had moved lower, and she was now holding them against his hips and waist. "Do you think I'm brave?"

He forced himself to look up at her. She was crying too, just not quite as violently as he was. She made little noise, tears just rolling down her face and dripping down onto the tile. "I... of course. Everyone here is brave."

"The younger kids here, they call us superheroes - they say we're the bravest people in the world. But they don't know how we really are." She withdrew her hands from his skin, and he wanted to grab them and put them back, but he couldn't. She used her hand to pull up the sleeve of the other arm, revealing a thin but nasty-looking slash across the underside of her wrist.

His eyes widened. "Wh... What's _that_? Oh God, how did that happen? Are you okay?"

"When I found out you left, I took that razor feather thing you left on the bed, and I did this. It hurt me that bad inside, I had to let it just come out." She rolled her sleeve back down. "And I curled up on the couch, and I cried, and all I did was sing angst. Does that seem like a brave superhero to you?"

"I... w-well..."

"Warren."

"N-No, ma'am."

"But does it change how you look at me? Do you think I'm any less brave for being scared that you were gone forever?"

"No... but now I feel awful for making you go through that. I'm sorry..."

"Stop apologizing. Not everything is always your fault." She put her arms around him again. "You're doing this for you, and that's what makes you brave. Okay? So it doesn't matter if you're scared or not. Everyone gets scared, you know that. You just have to swallow your fear and do it, and... it'll be over." She chuckled, and let go. "Of course, then there's the issue of the residual pain... but hey. What am I here for if not to be there for my friends?"

He smiled back at her, and with her help carefully laid down on the bed again, letting out a sigh. He reached for her hand, and she took it. "Can I... say that... I really, really just... _like_ you... without it getting all weird and awkward? And that I appreciate everything you're doing to take care of me?"

She grinned through her tears, and flicked him on the shoulder. "Someone's gotta look out for you. You're lucky the fall from heaven didn't crack your skull, you dork."

He had to laugh, then turned over onto his side. He found himself missing having to lie on his stomach, which he couldn't do at the moment because he still felt sick. He used to see it as a burden, now he was wishing for it. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, then let it out. "I'm... going to go to sleep now."

"I'll wake you up and tell you when your operation's gonna be."

"Thanks."

"... Don't go dreaming up a bunch of nightmares, okay? That's the last thing we need."

He felt himself smile. "I'll try."

There was silence. They didn't need to talk, the touch was enough. But it was only a matter of minutes before the singing started, quiet and expressive and reassuring.

"_I've been watching you silently_

_Blindfold, calming you violently_

_Feels like you've fallen_

_And there's no one out there_

_No one out there_

_Sleepwalk, wandering aimlessly_

_Hands tied, keeping you perfectly safe_

_No searching nor questioning_

_Follow me..._"

Her hand stayed in his, but her other hand busied itself by running fingers through his hair, caressing his neck. She wanted to kiss him, he could tell, but for now she'd settle for kissing him with her hands.

"_An army of angels_

_Will take you away_

_An army of angels_

_Prepare to invade_

_Don't be afraid_

_Your life starts today..._"

Her voice cracked just a little as she began to last verse, but that didn't mean it was any less comforting.

"_You live, you love, you cry_

_But you're not alone_

_You breathe to die_

_I'm here if you don't_

_Believe your eyes_

_Your world starts to change_

_It's real, you fly_

_You're not alone..._"

Her grip tightened noticeably, and he heard her crying again.

"_An army of angels_..."

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><p><strong>Ooooh much angst and *gasp* is that ROMANCE throughout here? Why yes, I do believe it is! Yay, we're finally getting there! Who likes lemons? D *evil laughter*<strong>

**... Oh God no, not THIS soon. Later on... mwahahahaha...**

**The song is "Army of Angels" by Kerli. I didn't used to like it, but maybe that was because of the crappy quality on the first video I watched. Now I love it and making a lyrics vid for it! I think I'll sneak Warren into it, somewhere in the end... mwaha... mwahaha... MWAHAHAHAHAHA!**

***ahem* Thanks for reading, and even if I don't reply to your review, be assured that I DO READ all of them. And they make me so super happy and fuzzy inside! So if you leave one that would make me insanely happy and I might have Numfar, Lorne's crazy brother from _Angel_, do the Dance of Joy. Hell, I might join him. XD**

**Thanks for reading and leaving reviews guys! See you soon for the next chapter! ^^**


	32. Chapter 32

**FWHAHAHA MORE STORY SPAM.**

**Sooo... little announcement in the BEGINNING author's notes this time. Whyyy? Because because because. I feel like it.**

**OK guys, so I have a new Warren/OC story up now. The first chapter is posted, and I'd love for you guys to check it out and leave me a review. It's called "Entering the World of Industry", and I think you'll find it interesting even if you don't really love it. I HOPE so at least. It'd be awesome of you to read it and drop me a line. :D**

**AND. Two new YouTube videos~ Here are the links:**

**SEASON 1 OPENING: www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Bt98VpThTLk**

**SEASON 1 ENDING: www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=qV3VA4tdNS8&feature=related**

**Hope you guys like them! I decided to make a little mini-series out of it, treating each chapter like an episode. Season 1 of "X-Men: Generation X" (lamest name ever, I know, but the title of the story would have been even weirder for a TV show) covers chapters 1 to 17 of this story. I would REALLY REALLY like if you guys seriously did watch them and in a review tell me what you think of them, 'cause I work on them as hard as I work on my stories.**

**So! My rambling aside... here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>The operation was scheduled for the day after next, since Hank understood that Warren had gotten drunk and would definitely not be feeling well enough to go through with it that evening or the next day. Cadence honestly questioned if the good doctor knew this from experience or what, but she was grateful he wasn't burdening Warren with more than necessary.<p>

She sat by him through every minute of the hangover, holding a bag of ice against his head and trying to comfort him whenever he thought he was going to get sick and then didn't. She really did feel for him; after all, she remembered what her first hangover had been like, and it wasn't pleasant. Plus he'd gone from not drinking at all to just all of a sudden getting hammered. Poor kid, took on more than he could handle. It also didn't help her that he'd done this because of _her_. That was a knife in her stomach.

Right now Warren was sleeping about as peacefully as he could, and she was texting with the others. Right now she was carrying on a conversation about the newest episode of _Leverage_ with Logan, Kitty, and Bobby. There was currently a lull, and nobody had texted in over a minute. They were probably all busy, unlike her, sitting here and supporting her friend.

All of a sudden her phone beeped. She looked at the text, but it was a number that didn't have a name attached. Curious, she opened it anyway and read:

_Kelly n me comin back 2 Xavier's. Remy's there 2... thanx 4 talkin him in 2 it. John AKA Pyro P.S. Missed you Demon._

She looked at it for a minute, then typed back. _Y r u comin here from Magneto?_

It took another minute before she got a reply from John/Pyro. But finally she did, and it broke her heart just a little.

_When it's all said and done, who doesn't want a happy ending?_

She smiled a little, and answered. _OK, I'll tell Stormy ur comin... can't wait 2 see u again. :)_

She had just texted Ororo about this and telepathically put her phone on the table (because she didn't feel like standing up and walking over there) when she heard feet running this way. She rolled her eyes, bracing herself, and sure enough a few seconds later Akira came running into the room with another kid who looked older. Akira ran straight to her and into her arms. "Cady-_oba-chan_! _Atarashi yūjin_!"

She grinned and put a hand on top of his head. "Hey hey, Akira, you've gotta be quiet. Angel's asleep. I'm glad you have a new friend, but _shhhhhhh_."

"_Gomen_." Akira let go of her and took the hand of the other boy. This new boy had big brown eyes, and was smiling shyly. His dark hair was about as short as it could be, as if it had just started to grow. "This Jimmy."

Cadence held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Jimmy. My name's Cadence James, but you can call me Cady if you want to."

His smile widened a little and he slowly reached forward. His hand shook as he tentatively grasped hers, and then his grip was a bit more firm. His eyes brightened, and he finally parted his lips in the smile. "Nice to meet you too. I think your name's pretty."

"Thanks." At this moment her phone rang and vibrated on the table, and she sighed. "Excuse me a sec, guys, looks like Stormy texted me back." She casually lifted her hand in that direction, expecting her phone to fly over as she willed it to. When it didn't, she blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow. "What in the world... my telekinesis on the fritz or something?"

When she glanced up, she saw Jimmy blushing a little bit, raising his hand slightly. "S-Sorry, that's me." He ran to the other side of the room, and Akira followed him. "Try again, your powers should work now."

Her eyebrow raised a little more, and she flicked her wrist again. This time her phone sped over into her hand. She looked at it, noticing the flashing message informing her of a text from Ororo. She moved her gaze back to the kids, then raised her other hand and motioned them forward. "Come back over here."

They did as she asked, and Jimmy was looking at the floor. "I'm really sorry... I can't help it."

"He no mean it," Akira added, then opened his mouth. "See? My tongue short and wide, and I'm clumsy like you. But if I go away from Jimmy-_kun_, I get normal again."

She let out a mirthless laugh, nodding. "That's some crazy shit. He's a mutant?"

"Yeah. His codename is Leech. How cool that?"

"Yeah yeah, cool." She flipped her phone open. "Let's see what Stormy has to say here... ah. Awesome, she's expecting them. Good, good." She texted back _Ok_, closed her phone, and was almost about to float it over to the table. She immediately remembered that the last time Jimmy was this close it didn't move, so if she let go of it there was a good chance it wouldn't do anything aside from falling on the floor. She tucked it into her jacket pocket and blew out a breath.

"Who coming? Who coming?" Akira demanded, jumping up and down and almost tripping over himself. Wow, he really _had_ gotten clumsy...

"A boy named John and a girl name Kelly. You remember John, don't you? Pyro?"

"Ohhh, _Kasai no Te_! Yeah, I remember him. _E eto_... can Jimmy-_kun_ and me borrow _World War III_ to play?"

She frowned. "You're not playing that video game, it's too violent, and hell, I should have known you wanted something from me..."

"C-Cadence..."

She looked behind her to see Warren waking up, shifting around and rubbing his eyes. He was on his back, and it looked like his eyes were still a little bloodshot. She smiled and stood up, taking his free hand. "Hey. Are you feeling any better?"

"A little. My stomach's better, and my head doesn't hurt so much..."

"That's good. You've been out a while."

"Warren?" Jimmy stepped forward, letting go of Akira's hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Jimmy?" Warren sat up a little, but Cadence noticed him grimace as he did so. _He must still be hurting_. "Long time no see. I didn't even know you were here."

Jimmy smiled. "Well, I've been trying to catch up on schoolwork, so nobody's seen much of me for a while. I'm finally caught up though."

"Whoa, whoa, wait." Cadence held up her hands at both of them. "You two... _know_ each other?"

"I used to be in Mr. Worthington's labs," Jimmy answered, hurrying to Warren's bedside and grinning. "Before I came here, I mean."

Warren lightly slid his hand out of Cadence's, smiled at her, and then looked at Jimmy with the same smile, grasping his hand. "He's the source of the Cure. They used his DNA - his mutation, he nullifies anyone else's when he's close."

"Figured that out already. So you really were friends with him?"

"Well, kind of. I didn't see him a lot, but I spent a few minutes with him here and there, every few weeks." He let go of Jimmy's hand and reached up to touch the top of his head. "Wow, Jimmy, I can't remember the last time I saw you with hair."

"Probably never," Jimmy giggled. "It's growing back - Ms. Munroe says mine grows fast. I'm glad. It almost looks normal again. When it gets just a little longer, it'll be almost like it was before I came to Mr. Worthington." He looked at Cadence and gave her another sweet smile before turning back to Warren. "So you're a mutant too, Warren?"

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you."

Jimmy shrugged. "We didn't see each other a lot. What's your mutation?"

"Can't show you. Well, I probably could, since the adamantium changed it... but it's really painful to come out of the skin right now."

"Wings," Cadence spoke up. She got to her knees next to Warren and pressed her lips against his for a second, pulling away slowly and biting at his bottom lip as she did. "We call him Angel, because he has wings." She caressed his face, her eyes flickering to Jimmy for half a second. "They're metal right now... retracted into his back. But after they grow back, they'll be feathers, and constant again. I'll take a picture for you. Don't mind, do you, Warren?"

"Course not."

"_Kimoiiiiii_," Akira gagged, grabbing Jimmy by the hand and dragging him off toward the door. "_Oba-chan_ and _Tenshi-senpai_ date? And they kissing, yuck. Let's get out and go learn more shoddy-fraud-a from Kurt-_danna_. Maybe we come back later when they not so mushy."

Jimmy stifled a laugh, then looked back at the two adults as he was hauled out of the room. "Bye, Ms. James! Bye, Warren!"

The doors had just closed when Cadence turned to shake her fist at him. "Hey you, don't call me that! It makes me feel old!"

She immediately calmed down - a little - when Warren grabbed her wrists and pulled her close. She was about to snap at him until she saw the look in his eyes.

It was an expression that she'd never seen before, not when anybody was looking at her. The closest thing she could name was the look in Kurt's eyes when he smiled at her; the love of someone for their friend. But this look, that wasn't quite it. It was different... stronger, maybe. But just... different. "Warren..."

"Shh, no. Let me talk."

Before he could even get a breath in, she drew one and began to stroke his face, her voice breaking as she sang very, very quietly.

"_Angel, be still_

_There is nothing you need say_

_It can wait_..."

She sat down on the bed near his legs and dropped her hand, caressing down his neck.

"_Sometimes I wanted to cry_

_Because the people on TV_

_We're not quite the way they are_

_Somehow I guess I just knew_..."

Her hand fell lower. Her palm lay flush against his chest, tracing down to his hip, then his thigh.

"_But I didn't know I'd love you so much_..." Her voice tapered off after that, only a slight hum. She was afraid to say it, even when she was singing and baring her soul to him. She was still wary to tell him how she felt.

Well, he wasn't. He'd say it first.

He picked up when she trailed off, in the same soft, light, cracked tone. His fingers rested against her face, then down her neck. On the side of her breast, then her waist, hips, and the gentle curve where her backside met her leg.

"_I didn't know I'd love you so much_..."

Their free hands intertwined, and their eyes met. Their voices joined together, a beautiful if somewhat melancholy sound. And suddenly they were saying how they felt.

"_I didn't know I'd love you so much_..."

Their faces inched close, and their lips rested just against each other, enough for them to get the last line out before a kiss.

"_But I do_..."

They just held each other, until one of them - scores shyer than the other - had the brevity to speak up. "Cadence... how long have we known each other?"

She let out a shaky breath. "I... I dunno... one month... two I think... but I can't... I can't remember. There _is_ no time when I'm with you. It's weird."

"I know. I get it. We have the _weirdest_ relationship ever, Cadence, but... I don't think it's weird in a bad way. I think it's good. I like being with you, and I... I'm sorry... I never wanted to hurt you in any way. And I did by leaving."

"That wasn't your fault. Logan told me, he doesn't think so... I think it was dumbass Magneto's fault. Nothing is _ever_ your fault, okay, Warren?"

He was quiet for a minute, his hand traveling her body and his eyes looking into hers. "Kurt... says he doesn't know everything about you. I thought he did. But now... I know one thing about you that he doesn't know."

She raised an eyebrow over one green eye, and scoffed, looking down. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"That I... I love you. He doesn't know that yet, and I don't think he knows that you love me back."

"And who ever said I loved you? I could be in love with _Logan_ for all you know. Man, now I gotta go rinse my mouth out..."

"You said it. When we were singing just now."

She looked down, avoiding his eyes, and pursed her lips before sighing heavily and speaking. "Warren... it's so _hard_ for me to say I love somebody. Everybody I've ever said those words to... they ended up stabbing me in the back, or leaving me, or both." She shook her head. "I just... I can't do it. I can't say it."

"What about Kurt, and Akira? And Pietro and all your other friends."

"I have never once said 'I love you' to any of them. They know I do, but I've never said it to their faces. I know that once I do... something is going to happen. It never ends, Warren, and it won't stop."

"Cadence. I seem to remember having this little talk with you a long time ago." He took her wrist, and tilted her face up with the other hand. "The world isn't out to get you. I would never hurt you on purpose. The people who have done that to you... you just met the wrong ones. Do you think everything would suddenly change, if you were talking to Kurt and you told him you loved him? Because I can tell, he loves you too."

"The people I've said that to... Warren... I thought they loved me too. But they were good at pretending."

He smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I can't pretend that well, you know. You can always see how I'm feeling. I can't pretend, Cadence... I really do love you."

He watched her, for any emotion in her eyes, for any action. Finally she took a breath and pulled her hands away, virtually throwing her arms around him and pressing her face to his neck. "If I can't... say it... by the time after the operation tomorrow... I'll leave you alone till I can figure myself out."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, Jimmy's here!<strong>

**Ok, Japanese Translations:**

**atarashi yūjin = new friend**

**gomen = sorry**

_**-**_**kun = expression of affection as in friendship, used for boys (sometimes girls in special situations)**

**Kasai no Te = Fire Hands (hehehe, Akira...)**

**e eto = um/so/well**

**kimoi = gross/ew**

**YAY JIMMY. HE'S SUPER DUPER ADORABLE. 8D**

**Oh yeah, guess what I found? OK, so the movie I get the clips for Cadence from is called UltraViolet. And IN that movie, there's a kid named Six. Guess who plays him? Cameron Bright, the same kid who played Jimmy/Leech. Awesome huh? He has hair in that movie, but it's short enough that I can get away with saying it's Jimmy... ah, you'll see what I mean.**

**The song Cadence and Warren sang together is called "I Didn't Know I'd Love You So Much" and it's from _Repo! the Genetic Opera_. Cady's favorite movie~ Obviously she changed some words... but hey. No big deal, right? :D**

**Also, changing the rating of this to M for Mature. ;P You'll find out why soon enough... plus, look at this chapter! The end half of it! There was some sexual stuff. So, changing to M... you shall all have nice surprises later. D**

**SO. Hope you all liked, and reviews are not just loved, they're CHERISHED. ^^**


	33. Chapter 33

**Wellll~**

**Not much to say this time. But sorry I waited so long to get this one... I was dreading it because even though I like writing Warren in pain and then Cady comforting him, this one's gonna be REALLY bad.**

**I kind of want to let this chapter speak for itself, so...**

**HOWEVER. I will say that I'm horrible because I've got to get the next 2 videos up... but I'm having issues with the second one. I tried to remove the backgrounds from a pic of Warren and a pic of Cady, and then combining to make it look like they were about to kiss. But for some reason when I added in the green screen effect, it gave me the background I'd chosen but made their faces all pixelated. XP Anybody out there know what might be the problem, or know how to fix it? XD I'm hopeless...**

**Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"Cadence. It's time."<p>

The black-haired woman looked up to see Hank... and a tray of glaring silver surgical tools that he was wheeling towards the bed. She sucked in a breath, and for a moment her eyes fluttered between open and closed. "I... guess we're good to go." She looked down at Warren, whose head she currently had her hand on. "Are you ready, Warren?"

He lightly licked his lips before swallowing and looking up at her. "Yeah... yeah."

"Alright then." Hank picked up a white jar and opened it, and Cadence moved to the side. "This is lidocaine, it's a local numbing agent. I'm not sure how well it's going to work, considering there's a large area that needs to be numbed, as well as the fact that I have to go under the skin and remove the root. But let's hold up hope that it works at least a bit, even just for a minute while I make the incision."

Cadence held her arm out in front of Warren. "Here. Bite my arm if you need to, babe."

He snapped his head up to her and gave a confused expression. "I-I'm not going to do that!"

"Fine, but I don't have a stick for you to bite on, so it's my arm or nothing. And if this isn't me sticking my neck out for you, I don't know what is besides the literal slash obvious."

"You know, I think I can take it without biting on something, Cady."

"Okay... wanna hold my hand? Kurt did that for Gigi when she had the spinal tap... I guess it's some kind of transferring of pain. You're getting your wings cut out, and I get to feel your pain by way of you nearly breaking my hand."

"That certainly makes me feel welcome to do it then." Warren reached up and grasped her hand, letting out a breath. "Thanks." It came out a bit sarcastic, half a continuation of what he'd just said, but it was obvious, at least to Cadence and Hank, that he really did mean it.

"Warren." Hank lightly placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Are you _sure_ you're ready to do this? I could give you another day or two, if you want."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Warren let his head fall forward, pressed against the cool pillowcase. "I just... I just want my wings back."

"I know you do, son. This shouldn't be too long - once I get the lidocaine on I'll be done in five minutes... ten at the absolute most, if I estimate correctly." He gave Warren a reassuring smile. "I work fast, don't worry."

Warren took a deep breath. "B-But how long am I going to be in pain until they grow _back_?" he argued weakly, his voice muffled by the pillow.

The doctor's reassuring smile shifted into a sorrowful one. "Oh, you've got a point there. I know, recovery's never enjoyable. But trust me. How long did it take your wings to first come out? From the time they came forth from the skin to full span?"

"I... I'm not sure. A few months maybe? Is... Is it hot in here?"

"Just you, babe." Cadence ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "I'm sure when this is over Dr. McCoy will get you a drink and an ice pack or something." She looked over at the aforementioned mutant. "It's not going to take _that_ long to grow back, is it?" she whispered, looking down at Warren.

"His healing abilities have had a lot of time to perfect themselves." Hank slipped on a pair of gloves and dipped his hand into the jar of lidocaine. "His blood has vastly improved from when he was younger, based on what I can tell. Remember when Logan used him as a punching bag? The bruises weren't there for long."

"Which brings up another little footnote. Remind me to kick Claws's ass at my earliest convenience."

"Noted. And it should only take about a week for his wings to grow back... two at the most. If it takes longer than that, well... you'll have to bring him back down here so I can see what's going on." Hank began spreading the cream across Warren's back, which at the moment was bare as he didn't have his wings out at the moment.

Even though it was bare, it wasn't the usual pale, perfect cream that it usually was. Thanks to the artificial wings, his back was a bloody mess that had dried dark red; obviously his healing factor had helped so they weren't gashes, but they'd piled up on top of one another each time he'd brought the wings out, and it looked horrible and frightening.

Warren whined a little, his grip on Cadence's hand tightening almost imperceptibly. "_Heeeey_," he complained.

"I know. I'm sorry about the tingling feeling, Warren, but at least that means it's working."

He raised his head a fraction of an inch, pouted at them, and then ducked back down, whimpering again.

"It's okay," Cadence tried to assure him, again stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. "It's not going to be forever. I know it'll be bad, but..." She shook her head. "Look, I read something once. If the pain lasts for a long time, it can't be totally awful... and if it really is awful, it's gonna be over quickly. I know this is going to hurt you really bad, but... just remember. It'll be over soon, and then the pain you'll have after it won't be as bad."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Hank praised, scooping another blob of lidocaine out of the jar and continuing to smear it on Warren's back. "Just remember that, Warren, and remember that Cadence will likely be with you through this." He looked back at her. "She remembers surgery."

"Yes, Dr. McCoy, but those were my _useless tonsils_. And _I_ was knocked out." She bent down and pressed her lips against Warren's temple. "My poor Angel. I won't leave you, okay? Right here, baby." She glanced over at Hank, who was now screwing the lid back on the jar. "Should the wings actually be out, or...?"

"No, no, it's better that they're under the skin completely." He looked at his tray, then selected a scalpel. "Under the skin, they're compressed. If they were out I'd have a hell of a time getting to the root, dodging metal edges and whatnot. Besides, he's going to be thrashing around a bit, unfortunately, and I'm not taking chances with any of us getting cut."

She nodded. "Right... and you'll give him morphine afterwards?"

"As much as is safe, yes."

"Good." She bent down, crouching next to Warren so that she was at eye level with him. "How about we count down from three, okay? Do it on one?"

He nodded, taking a breath. "Yeah."

She reached up with her free hand and cupped his cheek, and there was a look in her eyes that Warren had never seen before. It was a mix of pity, to an extent she'd never shown for anyone, and sorrow so deep she looked as if she was just going to burst into tears right there. She pressed her lips against his other cheek, and exhaled a hot, shuddery breath against his skin. "Warren," she whispered, and he could see saline glistening in her eyes and making them emeralds. "You have no idea how ugly you are right now. Without your wings. It's ugly."

He swallowed, and he felt the tears right there at the edge of his eyes too. He didn't want to cry and get her crying too, but he was just too worn-down to try and hold it back. A single tear slipped out of one eye, and he could feel it trailing down his face. He gripped her hand, and took a shaky breath. "But... But how about when I have my harness on, and my clothes on top of it? You never see my wings then. They're never out."

"I always know they're right underneath though." She squeezed his hand. "And they're always there. You don't have to be constantly pulling them in or pushing them out and tearing your skin. They're just there, and even if they hurt it's not... not as bad as this, is it?" A tear fell from her eye and landed on his hand after it slid down her face. "I want my Warren back. I want my Angel, my _angel_."

"Don't worry." He smiled up at her, then laid his cheek back down on the bed, slowly letting out a breath. "You'll have me back soon. I promise."

"I know." She pressed her lips lightly just beneath his ears, then moved up to nibble at the lobe with her teeth. "I know..." She pulled away, gripping his hand probably as tight as she dared. "Baby..." Her breath was shuddering, and you'd almost think _she_ was the one about to do this.

Warren listened to her and felt her grasp, and he'd just looked at her. Was this his fault? She was so completely unlike she had been when they first met. She was easily reduced to tears now. Before she wouldn't have hesitated to yell at someone, but now it seemed like whenever she wanted to yell at him, she just broke down in tears instead. He hadn't meant to do that to her... she used to be strong. Had he really made her weak like this?

She positioned her face right in front of his. "Okay. I want you to just look at me, don't focus on anything else." Her eyes flickered over to Dr. McCoy for just a second. "Dr. McCoy, three..." She ran her thumb over his hand. "Two..." Her eyes looked deep into his, green meeting blue and becoming teal. "One."

She shut her eyes tight and tried to ignore the beginning of agony-filled screams as Hank made the first cut in Warren's back.

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><p><strong>Yeah well... no comments. Except that - sorry for da semi cliffie!<strong>

**Love it when you guys review because that just makes me wanna write even more! ^^**


	34. Chapter 34

**I APOLOGIZE OMG I KNOW EVERYONE MUST BE SUPER SUPER MAD AT ME.**

**I'm sorry. I WAS working on this, I swear... but then some guy named Russia AKA Ivan picked me up and carried me off into Axis Powers Hetalia land. Ever been there? Quite fun. I explored Lithuania, Latvia, RUSSIA, Germany, Italy, Japan, Egypt, FINLAND~... and without even leaving my own backyard! Amazing, huh? (I feel sorry for Canada though. Nobody ever notices him. Sad face.)**

**By the way, my science teacher sucks. I was trying to work on chapter 35 of this, and he was all "You writing notes or passing a note?" and I was all "Uh, neither" and he was all "Well, put it away or I might have to take it away." That's why I'm glad I have English after that, because my English teacher be awesome and always makes us laugh. Also... he's cool because guess what? He's going to READ THIS when he gets a chance. I can't wait to see what he thinks of my writing style and all.**

**Thanks to EVERYONE who reads and reviews. Makes me feel good to know so many people like it.**

**Also, I'm super happy because *gasp* *point* LOOKATTHIS. We have almost hit 100 reviews. When that happens, I swear, I will throw a party. My BF still hasn't seen the movies, but ohhhh, I shall make him. Well... maybe just the third one, I think. Why? Because. He's already promised to watch Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre with me. THAT, my friends, is love.**

**Oh and one more thing. Captain (and you know who you are)... you did not get your dancing this chapter, but soon I promise, you will get your damn dancing if I have to write in CURSIVE at school to conceal the yummy times. XD**

**Kidding... or am I? *rofl-ing***

**... Probably NOT kidding. When I want to disguise what I'm writing, I just do cursive. That's how I roll.**

**So, after this awfully long author's note, please ENJOY TEH CHAPTER!**

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><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>Warren tried his absolute hardest not to scream or cry, but he just couldn't help it. He'd always had a low tolerance for pain, and he'd never liked going to the doctor, and in fact this was the first ever time having any surgery performed on him - if you didn't count the few times he'd tried to do this himself. He probably wouldn't have liked it even <em>with<em> anesthesia, much less _without_?

He clutched Cadence's hand just as hard as he possibly could. He didn't know if she was squeezing back or not, but at the moment he was sincerely sure that he didn't really give a shit. The scalpel Hank was using to cut into the skin was cold, and felt overwhelmingly, bitterly sharp. Not to mention the skin there was a sensitive area for him.

He really tried to hold back the cries and the tears. But he couldn't, the pain was just too awful. It was just a constant, sharp stabbing, jumping and leaping around everywhere in a split second. He could feel the blood just gushing out, spilling over his waist and even onto his chest a little. It was warm, uncomfortable, and if he turned his head just so, he could _see_ it. He could _see_ his _own blood_. It was terrifying and fascinating all at the same time. It was insane.

"_Warren_! Warren, oh God, Warren, please, please!" Cadence was there in front of him, and she was crying now. "Come on, babe, please, you gotta calm down. You're scaring me. _You're_ scaring _me_, doesn't that seem reversed?" She took her other hand and stroked it over his hand, the back of it. She was trying to keep him from freaking out, which he was kind of already doing. But at least she was even trying. "I'm right here. Warren, baby, I'm right here and I'm not leaving for anything, I promise. If Logan ran in here _on fire_, I would stay right here, I would glance over, I'd laugh, and I wouldn't move."

That lifted his morale just a little, knowing that she wasn't going to leave his side any time soon. But for _God's sake_ - he was still being _cut into_. Not the best feeling even if the one you loved was right beside you. He continued to cry and yell, but before he did he just barely managed to nod at her, to kind of tell her that he really was trying.

"It's okay, it's okay. Baby, he's done making the cut in your back. He's just gotta get the wings out and then stitch you up, and then you're done!" He could just barely see her eyes, and those bright emerald eyes, glistening with unshed tears, gave him some degree of hope. They always did, the beautiful eyes of the first woman he had ever loved. He saw everything in her eyes, the bad aspects of life but the good ones too. She wanted to love him too, she was just afraid of being hurt again. But he wouldn't hurt her. "I know you can do this. You can."

He nodded, swallowing and trying to stop breathing so shallowly. He couldn't get enough air but at the moment it felt like it was the only way he could breathe.

"Alright, Warren, you just calm down now," came Hank's voice. "I just have to get the root out, and then we're all done."

"Hear him, Warren?" Cadence was constantly patting his hand and touching his face and just trying to help him not to freak out any more than he already was. She bent down and kissed his cheek, but didn't remove her lips from his face. She pressed her lips by his ear, and poked her tongue at his sideburns, moistening the skin beneath. "I-It's okay," she whispered, sounding like her breath had gotten heavy now. "You're alright. He's almost done. It won't be much longer and then you're done."

He felt himself trembling even more than he had been. She was so close to him, so near and just so _close_. No one had ever been this close to him before, only she had ever been. He'd never let anyone get this close... he didn't even like his own father being less than a foot away. _Why_ was he letting her get so close to him like this?

He could barely think straight as her fingers roved his face and neck, and her lips explored the accessible parts of his ear, not unlikely looking for the most sensitive areas. She was probably _trying_ to make him shiver like this, now that he thought about it. She truly was sadistic, not that he really minded this aspect of it, this was actually somewhat exciting, just a bit unfamiliar...

"_OW! Shit!_" he screamed as the scalpel dug into him again. He normally avoided swearing (whereas Cadence embraced it at every possible opportunity) but in this case, that was exactly what he felt like saying and he didn't _care_. (His father might care slash be rather shocked to hear his son using such language, but who said Dad had to know _everything_?)

It wasn't in his skin any more, it was far deeper this time. It was almost like it had gone so far inside him, to his very core. And it _hurt_ like Cadence - i.e., a bitch. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, ripping and tearing through at his deepest level so he'd never be the same. He couldn't stop the tears from cascading again, and he tightened his grip on her hand as much as he could, so that his hand was shaking violently. "P-Please... _stop_! I-I can't take it, please! _**Please!**_"

"W-Warren, baby, it's... it's okay..." He heard this faint whisper of an angel's voice from somewhere far, far away. She wasn't clear, and her voice was tangled up with all kinds of wild emotion. It was hard to hear her; was that possibly Cadence, that beautiful voice? Oh, it hardly sounded like her. She didn't sound herself, only barely. But that didn't mean he was any less grateful to have her here. "It's going to be okay," she continued, as soothing as she could manage. "I'm here for you, baby, it's... it's not gonna... be much longer... d-don't worry, stop crying... it's fine, I'm here..."

He tried to swallow past the sudden thickness in his throat, it was hard and the only thing harder was trying to talk. "I-I know," he choked out, feeling more tears splash over and race down his cheeks even as he said this. Because the thing was, he _didn't_ know. He knew she was always here, sure, but everything else might as well have just been dust in the wind. He didn't know if it was going to be much longer. He didn't know how soon the pain was going to stop.

And he definitely didn't know if it was all going to be okay. Still, he managed to keep his eyes focused on what he could see of her through all this agony. "H-Hey," he whimpered, trying to smile, "I love you."

Her waterworks turned back on, and he could really see her again. She wasn't just a blur of color to match a voice. She was a clear image to cut the confusion, a soft touch to absorb his pain. She was smiling, crying, and oh, he'd never seen her like this. But wasn't it beautiful? "Oh Warren," she gasped, hanging her head to let the tears fall toward her lap. "I know. I know, baby, I know."

Even if she _had_ been going to return the sentiment, she didn't have the chance. The unbearable, excruciating, core-rending pain struck him again, this time on the other side. He cried out again, stiffening and beginning to cry even more. It was worse, was this the end of it? "Oh God...! Agh... d-damn, it _hurts_! I still can't take it! Why did you do it _again?_"

He could see and feel Cadence let go of his hand to shake Hank. "Dr. McCoy, stop, please! Stop, you're hurting him! For God's damn sake, you're hurting him!"

Hank was having quite a time keeping a grip on his scalpel with her seeming hell-bent on making him let go. "Cadence! I can't quit now, just stay calm! You can't get upset like this, especially right now!"

Warren was still looking at her, staring, and out of virtually nowhere her face clouded over with a familiar but unpleasant expression. She never stopped shouting, but it was easy to see that her vision was once more being blurred with red, with unrelenting anger. And immediately her shouts changed.

"Stop it! Logan, stop it! _**Logan, stop, you're hurting her**_!"

She wrestled the scalpel out of Hank's hand, threw it to the ground where it clattered dangerously, and ran from the room. All in an instant.

... Oh God... it hurt so bad...

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><p><strong>AWWWW POOR WARREN.<strong>

**She said she wouldn't leave and then she did. Horrible.**

**Don't worry, guys. It'll all be fine... or WILL IT?**

**I don't know. I have no idea.**

**OH YEAH BY THE WAY. I got a new font to use as my default, because I liked the way this font's question marks looked, and HOLY SHIT MAN. In this font, 14 point which is the same size I use for Times New Roman which I WAS writing in, it says there are 200 pages of this story. Um...? Question mark? In TNR, the actual page count is more like 150-151... ish. XD Still not too bad though, I think this is the longest story I've ever written.**

**... Well, the longest SERIOUS one anyway... though I'm not sure you can really call Cady serious... I think she might take offense to that. Probably whip your ass. Sooo... I'm just going to go into hiding now and pray she doesn't find me...**

**Thanks for reading, and reviews are my food source so drop one if you'd like me to live and write! ^^**


	35. Chapter 35

**Okay, I'm going to make this short and sweet.**

**First of all... 100 REVIEWS! 100 REVIEWS! THANK YOU PEOPLE THANK YOUUUUU~**

**Second... ahem... wanna let this speak for itself, so. Without ado, chapter 35! (Can you believe we're this far lol?)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>After about three minutes of Cadence cowering against the wall in a modified fetal position, the door opened. Hank walked out and closed the door before coming to stand next to her. He didn't crouch, he didn't sit, he just stood there.<p>

"You were remembering that night, weren't you?" he asked quietly.

She lifted her head, and it was obvious she'd been crying this entire time - harder, he suspected, than he'd ever see a human being cry in the rest of his life. She looked completely drained, downtrodden, and heart torn asunder for the millionth time. She took a deep, shaky breath, sniffling. "Why can't I just forget her, Hank?" she queried softly, not meeting his eyes, looking straight down at her lap. "I keep getting into so much trouble because of my memories with her. But I can't let go..."

"You can't forget because she was your friend," he answered, shifting position slightly. "You loved her, as she did you, and she was a very important person in your life, if not _the_ most important person at that time. It would be too difficult and too painful to forget someone you cared for so much and who cared so much for you. You don't want to, and that's okay. You know that, Cadence? You don't have to forget her."

She curled up again, pressing her arm against her eyes. After a few seconds her head came back up again and she let out a shuddery breath. "She was the first person who was ever really... nice to me. I mean sure, before I came here there was Pietro. But seriously. He's a guy, and a high school senior's hormones are worse than an ant's pheromones. I know he cared about me and still does, but he was always so..."

"Unaffected?" Hank finished.

"It didn't seem like back then he ever cared whether we broke up or not. Nobody ever did, you know... when we were kids. Young and stupid and nobody gave a shit."

He chuckled a little. "Yes, I can understand _that_ perfectly."

"And out of nowhere he just... dumped me. And I came here, expecting to find I-don't-know-what. People like me, I guess. And I did, but... they all seemed afraid of me too. Like I was a punk, or like I was a mutant to the mutants. Then Jean... God, Jean... she was the first one who really treated me like... like..."

"A person." Hank nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean. She always was more sensitive to others' feelings than the rest of us. We had no idea if you were upset or not - you _always_ seemed upset, to us. But Jean, and the Professor... they were in tune with you, almost. They knew if even the slightest thing was wrong."

Cadence was silent for a minute, then sighed. "Jean helped me, you know."

"And she did so love helping you, I could see that. She loved seeing your progress, seeing that what she had taught you had really stuck."

"If it weren't for her, I... I don't know. I'd have no control over my powers. And... And Professor too. If it weren't for him agreeing to take me in here I'd probably still be... you know."

"On the streets. I know how you used to live, Cadence. It's the way a lot of us used to live before this institution became a beacon of hope for mutants."

"..." Cadence looked over at the door. "We're so different."

"You and Warren?"

"Me and Warren, me and Jean. Jean had a good family... they were only concerned about her. That's why they sent her here. And Warren... he's a rich kid, _and_ a mutant. That's not something you see everyday... and he didn't come here because Daddy told him to." She blew out a breath, rubbing at her forehead. "Me? Hell... my family's as dysfunctional as it gets save for Kurt being raised by carnies."

"But we're your family now. We count, don't we?"

"Yeah, I just... I mean my biological family. You know, from whose loins I sprung and whose blood threads itself through my black heart."

"Ah, yes. I seem to remember them, if I'm recalling what you told me correctly. But you said you forgot about them the moment you got here, that you liked it here better than you ever enjoyed life with them. Not lying, now, were you?"

"You just watch it, Bones. I only enjoyed life with _one_ member of my family, and by the time I got here he'd been gone for a long time."

Hank nodded. "I know, Cadence. I know it's been tough for you." He tore his eyes from her, and glanced toward the door. Through the glass it was easy to see that Warren was lying facedown on the bed, crying and shaking and being miserable. "But you forget sometimes that even though Warren's been sheltered, he's had it hard too. A lot of sheltering and seclusion doesn't do a child good. All he's ever learned to do is hide and be ashamed about being different."

"Warren..." She swallowed. "He's so... irritating... sometimes. To me anyway. But he just... I... I don't know..." She blew out a breath and looked down. "What am I doing...?"

"Why don't you go see how he's feeling, hmm?"

She ran her arm over her eyes. "Shouldn't _you_ be in there pumping him full of morphine?"

"I gave him a dose already. Intravenous lines are wonderful things, Cadence."

She accepted his hand to pull her up, and exhaled. "Yeah, my poor baby..."

Hank chuckled as his younger friend gripped the door handle. "Why, Cadence! If I didn't know better, I'd almost say you were falling right into the 'l' word. But my, I know _that_ couldn't be possible... didn't you swear off romance the _day_ you came here?"

"Yeah, but... much as I hate to admit it, things change. And _that_ changed, obviously, 'cause I fell for Warren." She opened the door. "But mention my name in conjunction with the 'l' word, and I'll break your face."

* * *

><p>Hank had given him stitches to close up the actual incision in his back, but there were still the open gashes where the wings had come out and gone in, where his real ones had originally been in the first place. It still hurt like all hell. But at least it was bearable, not awful as it had been just a few moments ago during surgery. It was better - not great by <em>any<em> twisted standards, but better. At least he wasn't feeling the need to cuss or scream every five seconds. The crying hadn't stopped, but now it was more a release of negativity than an expression of agony.

But his heart was still in quite a bit of pain. Why had Cadence just left him like that? It didn't even sound like she'd been referring to him. She'd promised not to leave during this horrible ordeal, so why did she?

He heard the door open, but he was too tired to lift up his head. He just wanted to sleep. Besides, it was probably Hank again.

"Warren? You feel okay?"

He snapped his head up, which was a decidedly stupid move on his part because he got rather dizzy. "C-Cadence?" Even with what she'd just done, he couldn't bring himself to not just be _happy_ that she was here. She was always a beautiful sight to lift anyone's spirits, and at the moment her presence was comforting. He swallowed thickly. "I-I could ask you the same thing."

Cadence shrugged. "Yeah. I guess you could, in theory."

"So... are you okay, then?"

"Yeah, I _will_ be. Sorry I just kinda... ran out like that. I wasn't thinking straight, babe. Forgive me?"

"Well... yeah, of course. How could you think I wouldn't? You didn't do it on purpose, I mean... sure it hurt me, but I could tell you were too upset to really think about what you were doing." He reached up and grabbed her hand gently, holding it in his. "Besides, isn't that a big part of love? Willing to constantly forgive?"

Fresh tears made their way out of Cadence's eyes, and she got to her knees. She looked right in his tear-stained eyes with her own, and parted her lips as if to speak, but no sound came out. She closed her mouth, then opened it again, and she did this several times. Like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

Finally she laid her head down by his, squeezing his hand tightly. "I don't deserve you, Warren," she whispered, sobbing with each word and in between. "I really don't. You can do better, so why are you with me?"

With what little strength he had now, he moved his head and managed to kiss her lightly. "Don't say that, Cadence. We deserve each other. Even if you don't believe it, we do."

He heard her sniffle. "Y-You don't know that, Warren. You _still_ don't know some of the things I've done."

"Yeah, so? Who says I care all that much? I love who you are _now_, and I don't care about whatever you did in the past."

She shifted her head, looking up at him through the slits in the silky black hair over her face. Her eyes were dark now, even with the tears. "You would care if you knew. Kurt doesn't even know. That should tell you how bad it was."

Warren glanced down. "I accept you for who you are, Cadence. The good and the bad. Your heart... it's like a tiny little island of kindness surrounded by an entire ocean of trouble. And if I have to go through all that water just to get to an island where my feet have to take turns standing on it, I'll do that." He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "But you have to teach me how to swim. You have to let me know every danger that's in there or I'm going to drown."

Cadence brought her face away from him for a second, then let out a bitter giggle. She shook her head, using her free hand to brush hair away from her face. "I, um... I don't want you to drown. Dr. McCoy says when that happens, water fills your lungs and you asphyxiate. That doesn't sound like a word I want to happen to you."

He chuckled. "Yeah. Me either. So you... gonna tell me what happened there?"

She rolled her eyes. "I will share it when I'm good and ready."

"Okay, okay." He nodded, mentally raising his hands in surrender. "I respect that."

She didn't nod. She just stared down at their hands together, and puffed out her cheeks as she blew a breath. "Hey... Warren?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled softly, shifting her eyes to look down at him. "You dorky excuse for an angel," she muttered, leaning down to press her lips just below his ear. "I love you."

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><p><strong>Reviews are greatly appreciated... I'll love you forever if you leave one!<strong>

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	36. Chapter 36

**I know, I know what you're thinking. I'm a horrible person. How long has it been since you guys haven't had an update? At least six months. I'M SOOOOO SORRY. I got caught up in other stuff, and it was in the back of my mind nagging like a little mosquito.**

**BUT, here's a new chapter. And PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM, IT CONTAINS VITAL INFORMATION.  
><strong>

**Hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><em>Who if I cried out,<em>

_Would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?_

_And even if one of them suddenly_

_Pressed me against his heart:_

_I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence_

_For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror_

_Which we are still just able to endure_

_And we are so awed_

_Because it serenly disdains to annihilate us._

_~Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

><p>"Go away."<p>

"Cadence, we need to talk about-"

The other woman turned to face her, and a steely glare was shot her way. "I said just get out of here!" She quickly swiveled back to her recovering boyfriend, who luckily was still asleep. "You're going to wake him up."

Ororo took a few steps forward, her heels clacking softly on the tile. "You refused to meet me in the office. I had to come here. If he wakes up, it's not my fault."

Cadence was busy petting Warren's face, over and over, tracing along his hairline and around his ear and eye. All four fingers came down, her ring finger and pinky on his jaw, and her first two fingers resting on his plush, perfect lips. "Just tell me what you need to tell me. Warren and I want to be alone."

"_He's_ asleep, and we need to talk," Ororo insisted, putting her hand on Cadence's shoulder.

"If you don't get your hand off me, I swear to God you'll lose the whole damn arm."

"Cadence."

"Cadence is busy. Screw off till she feels like talking in a way that won't crush your feelings like Optimus Prime crushes Megsie."

"Cadence, we need to talk about your and Warren's involvement with the X-Men."

Cadence scoffed. "So we haven't been on the team. We haven't actually been helping out. Logan doesn't care - he knows what happened to Warren and he knows how it affected me. Both of us. He'll keep Warren's training up when he's better. It'll be a week, two weeks tops. So just get off my case, will you?"

Ororo blew out a sigh, resisting the urge to clench her fists. A light wind stirred up outside; she didn't excel at completely keeping her powers under control when her emotions came into play. "I'll let you have that one for free, Cadence, since I know you're in a lot of emotional pain right now. But this isn't about either of your training. It's about requests I've been receiving from Jimmy and Joey."

"Jimmy. That one boy who took my powers. Joey. That telekinetic kid who needs to work on not being afraid of whatever he's levitating."

"That would be them, yes."

"What about them?"

"Jimmy wants to see Warren and is wondering if you would allow him and Akira in here for a little bit. As for Joey, he severely needs help with his training, and he would like you to consider... _tutoring_ him, I suppose you'd call it."

"Jimmy and Akira get a yes. Joey gets a no."

"Why?"

"I lose control of my powers way too much. I'd get frustrated and whip things at him, and then he'd get hurt, and I'd get Dr. McCoy's special brand of bitch-lecture."

"You're the only other telekinetic we have here at the school right now, Cadence." Ororo took a few steps nearer to the raven-haired mutant. "We all let our emotions get the best of us sometimes, and we all lose control. If you don't teach Joey, nobody will be able to. And you know what's going to happen then. Do you remember what happened to you? Why you came here in the first place?"

"Don't talk about my family," Cadence warned lowly. "You _never_ talk about my family unless I start the conversation."

"I'm not. But at least you remember. That's what'll end up happening to Joey if nobody tries to teach him how to control himself. You saw the movie _Poltergeist,_ didn't you? That's what he'll be like, a walking version of that movie. Lamps crashing to the floor, pictures flying off the walls, knives hurling through the air and missing someone's head by half an inch. And all because he might have... dwelled on something that made him angry, or... got scared. You know what that's like, Cadence."

Cadence let out a short, scoffing laugh. "Sounds like me when I first got here."

Ororo leaned down and wrapped her arms around Cadence. "And Jean helped you with that. Wouldn't it be great, Cadence... to be someone else's Jean?"

"... That would be nice, I guess."

"So you'll do it?"

Cadence sighed. "Alright, fine. You suckered me into it. Sunday, in the training room, which better be empty. One in the afternoon. You tell him to be there or he's a damn square."

* * *

><p>"It's so cool how you did the surgery like that," Jimmy was saying to Warren, who was still in bed. The younger mutant was sitting on the floor, happily trying to fashion a double helix out of pipe cleaners for a science project. "I mean, you were scared... and you still did it! The first time I ever got an <em>X-ray<em> I was terrified."

Warren smiled. "Yeah, well... you gotta do what you gotta do, right?"

Cadence snorted. "Yeah. You cry, you die."

"You know, Cady, for all your aversion to crying, you seem to do it a lot."

"Shut up or the second your wings grow back I'll stuff them in your mouth and _make_ you shut up."

"_Tenshi_ with no wings no fun." Akira was busy sitting on Cadence's lap, playing his handheld. He couldn't be distracted, but apparently adding in his two cents wasn't considered distracting.

"Got that right," Cadence snickered, hiking the kid up on her lap.

"Look like dere's a party goin' on right 'ere," came a voice from the door.

"Yeah, one we weren't invited to," another voice added. "_Again_."

Everyone looked over to see two men, one with blonde hair and the other with a hat covering most of his brownish locks. The blonde flicked open a lighter, producing a flickering flame.

Cadence put Akira on the floor and stood up, hands on her hips, walking over to them. "Well, well, look who decided to get their asses back here. I _thought_ I smelled smoke and heard cards shuffling."

"Is this your welcome back party for us?" the blonde teased, capping his lighter and shoving it back into his pocket. "Because if it is, I'm sorry to say it's a little pathetic. Who has a party in the infirmary, anyway?"

"You jerk." Cadence wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you, dummy."

"Nice to see you too," the blonde chuckled, returning her embrace. "It's been a while. I knew you couldn't go too long without me."

"Hey, what 'bout me, _cherie?_" the other man laughed, removing his hat. "You don't give Gambit no lovin', _n'est-ce pas?_"

Cadence giggled and latched onto him, pulling them both into her hug of death. "I didn't forget you, Remy. Glad Ororo finally let you out of the prison cell - I mean, holding room. By the way, you still owe me twenty bucks."

Remy scoffed. "Why, _mademoiselle,_ Remy won dat offa you fair 'n' square!"

"You're a dirty cheat, we both know it, and will you just hug me before I totally lose it?"

"That is one t'ing I'll be happy to oblige to." He threw her arm around her and joined the group hug.

Warren pushed himself up on his elbow. "Wanna introduce me, Cadence? Of course, the one with the hat must be the Remy Labeau I've heard so much about, but...?"

"A pleasure, _monsieur!_" Remy strolled over and eagerly shook the younger man's hand with both of his own hands. "_Cherie_ has told me much about dis place, so I know you mus' be _l'Ange_, my _cherie_'s angel."

Warren returned the gesture as well as he could. "The pleasure's all mine. I'm Warren."

"_Et..._ from what I hear, I must be the first to offer you de most sincere _merci_ I have given in a long time. I understand you are workin' on her heart, _non?_"

"And this jokester is John Allerdyce," Cadence interrupted, bringing over the blonde by the arm. "Remember I told you about the weirdo who likes to set innocent things aflame? This is him - Pyro."

"Nice to meet you, man," John grinned, clapping a hand lightly on Warren's shoulder. "Don't believe anything Cade tells you about me."

"I'm just joking around," Cadence spoke up, draping an arm around his shoulders. "He's a pretty great guy, as far as they go. At least I know if Bobby got fed up with me and turned me into a popsicle, Johnny Law here would thaw me out. He may be a jerk sometimes, but when it really counts he'll have your back."

"_Kasai no Teeeeeeeeee!_" Akira shouted, leaving his video game with Jimmy and running over to fling his arms around John's waist. "How doing?"

"I'm cool, little man, I'm cool." John reached down and ruffled Akira's hair.

"Didn't you say some girl was coming with you too?" Cadence asked, crossing her arms and shifting her hips. "Or did you make her up like you made up Princess Beautiful and Perfect in Every Way With Jelly Lips and Blue Candy Eyes?"

A flash of red stained John's face, but he quickly recovered. "Uh, no way. She's real, and her name's Kelly. She went to go see Kitty."

"They'll probably wind up being inseparable," Cadence snickered. She sat down on Warren's bed and put a hand on his shoulder. She smiled down at him, and giggled when he returned the smile.

"Well. The family's all together again. Let's keep it that way, huh?"

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

* * *

><p><strong>French Translations<strong>

**cherie = dear  
><strong>

**n'est-ce pas? = isn't that so?/isn't that right?  
><strong>

**mademoiselle = Miss  
><strong>

**monsieur = sir  
><strong>

**l'Ange = the Angel  
><strong>

**et = and  
><strong>

**merci - thank you  
><strong>

**non = no  
><strong>

**Japanese Translations  
><strong>

**Kasai no Te = Fire Hands (is what Akira calls Pyro cuz he thinks it's funny)  
><strong>

**OK, um... I should probably explain that "TO BE CONTINUED" part, right?  
><strong>

**Uh, hehe, well... OK OK! Remember the quote I put in every chapter? It's by Rainer Maria Rilke, and I was searching for random quotes the other night... and found another one by Rainer Maria Rilke. So I read it and thought "Wow, how perfect for the way Warren and Cady's relationship is going to get and how crazy everything's going to be!"  
><strong>

**Besides... when I have the whole document for this story open... errr... it's kinda the ONLY thing I can have open, otherwise it lags when I type. I end up getting annoyed and closing it anyway, so by starting a new story and creating a fresh document on my computer, I'm doing all you guys a favor by trying not to be lazy with this story!  
><strong>

**Soo... sequel. Ish, I guess. It's more of the second installment in the series. SO YEAH.  
><strong>

**Hopefully it'll be up soon. Once I post it, the title will be "Whole Against the Sky". So look for that, don't know when I'll have it up, but it won't be too long like this time...  
><strong>

**I'd like to thank EVERYONE who has ever reviewed this story, so get ready for a long list:  
><strong>

**arachnidsGrip, Auluna, Mara, Cap'n Green, Chishio chuudoku, Gloo1997, TheOnlyMarauderette, Puella Pulchra, hunterwe (my internet buddeh!), togo65, Prophetic Paranoia, DeadinmySleep, anon, shygrrl217, Emmy Matute, padmefan17, Gollum4077, Tridentbearer1, LadyKiller123, Christy - Flare, Rainbows in the Summer, Dream HUGE, Kimmy-1166, BlackRose, MidnightRoulette, Qwa3, DiaDeLosMuertos, Zaikia, Outsidelookin, dragonrain618, Musicunderground, silverangel83, TheOdaFan, Silver Eyed Slayer, and of course, my most faithful reviewer who ALWAYS has something nice to say every chapter, Echo Dancer!  
><strong>

**Love ALL of you guys that supported me and hope you'll continue to do so for the second installment!  
><strong>

**This story has been crazy, and it's only going to get crazier. It's like it has a mind of its own, and it's sooooo definitely not "over"!  
><strong>

**Thanks for being patient enough to read this WHOLE thing and then discover it's only just begun! Lots of love... till the next one! ^^  
><strong>


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